Children in countries facing a dearth of health workers, mainly in Africa, are five times more likely to die from illnesses than those in developed countries, a Save the Children study showed Tuesday. The new Health Workers Reach Index by the UK-based NGO shows that Chad is the worst place to treat a sick child, while Switzerland is the best, with 13 of the worst 20 countries for a child to fall ill in, in Africa.
Famine and war-wracked Somalia is the runner up for worst place. Countries like Laos, Nepal, Afghanistan and Bangladesh feature at the bottom. Finland, Ireland, Norway, Belarus and Denmark are also at the top of the list.
"At the moment, a child's survival depends on where he or she is born in the world. No mother should have to watch helplessly as her child grows sick and dies, simply because there is no one trained to help," said Aboubacry Tall, the NGO's West and Central Africa regional director.
