The reduction of the neonatal mortality in the Dominican Republic is one of the challenges that a country that is about to enter the group of “high income countries”.
In these terms he expressed rose elcarterepresentative of United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) in the Caribbean nation since 2015, who announced the conclusion of his mission.
He pointed out that the pandemic coronavirus worsened the figures for maternal and neonatal mortality, and this continued in 2021. However, in 2022, “we had to start from scratch” and it was possible to reduce the maternal mortalitybut not the neonatal.
Elcarte affirmed that the national health system is “inequitable”. In addition, he considered it “imperative” that the Dominican Republic take “oh really” primary care.
According to Elcarte, Quisqueya has a “important” debt with the prevention of disability, since in public hospitals the screening test (heel test) is not done to prevent diseases that cause disabilities.
Children with disabilities and education, according to Unicef
Regarding education, Elcarte maintained that the nation “still far behind” regarding its quality. In his opinion, additional impulses are needed, as well as the inclusion of technologies to improve learning.
He also suggested that there should be a greater number of students with disabilities in ordinary classrooms, “but there is still a long way to go.”
The head of Unicef in the country, who said she was convinced that children and their rights should be the priority of all governments, commented that the dedication in comprehensive care of children in their early years is one of the issues that keep her hopeful.
His dream, he explained, is to improve the learning of literacy and math in the first years of elementary school. He requested that this be a priority for the Ministry of Education.
“If children learn to read and write well in the early years, we will get a good foundation for all other learning, continuity and support for these programs is necessary to achieve solid results, “he said.
child marriage
Your greatest satisfaction? The promulgation of the law that prohibits child marriage, which was normalized and formed part of the landscape, he highlighted. Also, he stressed that The Dominican Republic is the first country in Latin America in having a public policy to prevent early unions and adolescent pregnancy.
Despite the fact that figures have started to go down, he warned, they are still “very” highbeing the poorest or uneducated families the most affected.
Another of the country’s challenges, he said, is the social sustainability in the design of new tourism development poles. He also suggested that the number of workers who will move to these be calculated, and that the development of social houses, schools and health centers be planned. In this way, Elcarte expressed, the displaced worker would not abandon his family and would be able to take care of his children, especially in the important early years.
For the representative of Unicef in Quisqueya, not enough attention has been paid to protecting children from violence. “I am concerned that the important legal, administrative, and institutional reforms have not yet materialized so that children, adolescents, and women can live without violence,” she said.