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The launch of the plan represents an important milestone in the national commitment to children’s health and well-being and comes at a particularly significant time, less than two months after the creation of the National Alliance for the Accelerated Reduction of Maternal, Neonatal and Child Mortality, reinforcing the country’s efforts to tackle the main health challenges affecting women and children.
It is estimated that, in 2024, around 4.9 million children under the age of five will have died worldwide, with sub-Saharan Africa being the region with the highest rates of child mortality. According to the 2022–2023 Demographic and Health Survey, in Mozambique, the under-five mortality rate stands at 60 deaths per 1,000 live births, with the majority of child deaths continuing to be linked to preventable or treatable causes, including complications related to prematurity, birth asphyxia, pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria and malnutrition.
The Action Plan for Child Survival was developed by the Ministry of Health in response to the global 'Child Survival Action' initiative, which mobilises governments, development partners, community leaders and civil society to accelerate the end of preventable child deaths. The initiative is aligned with the primary health care approach and with national and global efforts to achieve universal health coverage.
The Plan sets out strategic priorities aimed at expanding access to quality health services and strengthening high-impact interventions to improve child survival. These include strengthening primary health care, expanding access to quality health services for mothers, newborns and children, the prevention and treatment of diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria, improving child nutrition, promoting equity in access to healthcare, and strengthening partnerships between the Government, cooperation partners, civil society and the private sector.
WHO and its cooperation partners have reiterated their commitment to continue supporting the Government of Mozambique in implementing the plan, recognising that the success of this initiative will depend on the sustainable mobilisation of resources, multisectoral coordination and the active involvement of communities and families.
The Action Plan for Child Survival is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 3.2, which aims to eliminate preventable deaths among newborns and children under five, as well as with the global strategies of the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.
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