Life and death of children: the price of life.
Nearly 2 million children die of simple diarrhea each year in developing countries. Those children would not have died if they were given Oral Rehydration Solution, which costs 100 yen for treating one child. In developed countries like Japan, treating one patient with intracranial aneurysm will cost over 2 million yen. The cost for treating one such patient could save 10,000 children with diarrhea even after adjusting with purchasing power parity in developing countries. Such inequity and inequality cannot be acceptable. We who are concerned about such a status quo have to work together for the betterment of children living in developing countries. In this review the author explores the root causes behind such unjust global structures.
Wakai
Susumu
S
Department of International Community Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan. swakai@m.u-tokyo.ac.jp
D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003132:Commerce; D003643:Death; D003906:Developing Countries; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000150:complications / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D019369:Life; D010820:Physicians; D015532:Rehydration Solutions / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D015532:Rehydration Solutions