Priorities and practice in tropical paediatrics

More than 14 million children under 5 years of age die annually in the Third World, mainly due to diarrhoea, pneumonia, malaria and immunizable diseases. The problems of poverty, malnutrition, poor sanitation, illiteracy and high fertility that traditionally are associated with underdevelopment are now being compounded by social disruption due to rapid changes in lifestyle, new diseases such as AIDS and Third World debt. A vital part of the solution is provision of basic medical and education services to all, with emphasis on female literacy and improving the status of women. Key elements in providing basic medical services are delegation and empowerment. Doctors must delegate the delivery of essential child health services to appropriately trained and adequately supported auxiliaries. Parents, especially mothers, need to be empowered with the knowledge and resources to recognize and manage, or assist in the management of, their children's health problems.