Political apathy 'killing kids'

Kiwi kids are dying in accidents and from abuse and Third World diseases due to political apathy, doctors and child welfare experts say.

MPs were told yesterday by the Paediatric Society that New Zealand has the worst rates of death and injury from preventable causes in the developed world and much more is needed to reverse the trend.

And in a report due out today, the children's commissioner calls for extra funding to educate parents about the dangers of shaking babies, as it reveals why about 45 children under five are seriously injured and five killed each year at the hands of carers.

Starship children's hospital paediatric surgeon James Hamill told Parliament's health select committee a third of all child deaths were due to trauma, but the only paediatric intensive-care unit in New Zealand was at Starship.

Overseas studies show children in adult intensive-care units are twice as likely to die compared with patients in paediatric ICUs.

Dr Hamill, who chairs the College of Surgeons trauma committee, said while it wasn't possible for every hospital to have a paediatric ICU, national standards for dealing with child trauma victims and better data collection were needed.

MPs were also urged to consider other measures, such as 20kmh zones around schools, restricting the minimum age for a full driver's licence to at least 18 and better restraints for children in cars.

Capital and Coast paediatric surgeon Brendon Bowkett said hospitals were being squeezed by epidemics of infectious diseases associated with poverty and overcrowding, such as skin infections, whooping cough, chronic lung disease, pneumonia and rheumatic fever.

That led to the cancellation of "non-urgent" operations for grommets, tonsils and hernias that all children should be able to receive.

The select committee chair, National MP Paul Hutchison, said their concerns would be referred to health officials for consideration.

The children's commissioner's report out today looks at common risk factors for death and injury from abuse in New Zealand and worldwide. It suggests very young babies are most at risk of abuse.

"It only takes a small slap to the head or a short shake of a baby to do real harm," commissioner John Angus said.

He said there was a particular risk when babies were left in the care of young men who were not biological fathers who were often unprepared for the stresses of a crying baby and could have problems with anger or alcohol abuse.

He urged the Government to fund the Shaken Baby Prevention Programme being looked at by Auckland DHB to be piloted in Auckland and rolled out nationally.

Health Ministry chief child health adviser Pat Tuohy said the ministry could consider a paediatric trauma clinical network.

Meanwhile, the cure for poverty-related diseases was fixing poverty, he said.

"The number of children living in poverty has improved from 25 per cent in 2004 to 16 per cent in 2007, so there's a start. What cures poverty-related diseases is dealing with poverty."

Health Minister Tony Ryall said he had met Dr Hamill to talk about his proposal for national standards.

"It is an area we would like to consider further."

SICK STATISTICS

One child under five is admitted to hospital each week as a result of abuse. Between 1995 and 2004, 51 children under five died as a result of an assault.

Two children die and 190 are hospitalised each week as a result of accidents in New Zealand ranked last among 24 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries in preventing child injury-related deaths.

The lifetime cost of a moderate head injury to a child is about $2.6 million. A severe head injury can cost $4.8m.

Hospital admissions for serious skin infections in children and young people more than doubled in the 15 years to 2006, as did the potentially fatal lung infection bronchiolitis in babies under 12 months.

DOCTORS' PROPOSED SOLUTIONS

20kmh zones around schools and busy pedestrian areas, which would cut the death rate from 100 per cent to 19 per cent after a collision.

Booster seats for all children till they turn nine or are at least 148cm tall.

Teaching new mums about accidents in the home and child skin infections.

Establishing child rehabilitation services.

Removing charges for after-hours medical care for children.

 

- By RUTH HILL and KELLY BURNS, Dominion Post