KARACHI: Recent research by US-based PALISI Global Health has highlighted significant improvements in Pediatric Emergency Rooms (ERs) operated by the ChildLife Foundation in Sindh Government hospitals. This study underscores the remarkable impact of ChildLife Foundation’s initiatives in reducing pediatric mortality rates in resource-constrained settings.
The one-year point prevalence study, conducted from 2021 to 2022, evaluated Pediatric ERs at Sindh Government’s Civil Hospital Karachi and Sheikh Zayed Children Hospital in Larkana. The findings revealed a pediatric mortality rate of 1.2% in these hospitals, significantly lower than the 6.3% average across 46 sites in 19 low-income countries.
The study measured the burden of pediatric acute critical illness in resource-constrained settings, emphasizing the critical need for high-quality basic critical care services to improve outcomes for children worldwide. Key success components identified include well-trained healthcare professionals, adequate medical supplies and equipment, properly designed and equipped medical facilities, efficient healthcare systems and protocols, and continuous support and collaboration from various sectors.
By strengthening healthcare infrastructure, providing extensive staff training, and optimizing resource allocation, ChildLife Foundation, in collaboration with the Sindh Government, has significantly improved child health outcomes and reduced the burden of critical illness and related mortality.
Over the last 13 years, the Sindh government, under its public-private partnership model, has successfully treated 6 million children in ERs of public hospitals across the province. This partnership has modernized nine children’s Emergency Rooms (ERs) in public tertiary care hospitals in Sindh, significantly increasing the survival rate of critically ill children. Additionally, the deployment of telemedicine technology across all tehsils of the province has made quality emergency care accessible to children closer to their homes. This collaboration ensures that every child in Sindh is within 30 minutes of quality emergency care.
