Health

Digital transformation can seem like a massive, daunting journey. And like many other sectors, health systems globally face a new challenge: unleashing the power of digital technology to fundamentally reinvent how care is delivered. Tackling this challenge requires careful planning and the assessment of a country’s health infrastructure, including…

As we start a new year, pinning our hopes for safer and happier times, we realize now more than ever that the world as we know it has changed, turned upside down by COVID-19. In East Asia and the Pacific we continue to see the impact of the pandemic on how we live, work and communicate. Disparities have increased. Children have been forced to…

The global COVID-19 pandemic is overstretching health systems. Health workers are working round-the-clock to respond to the outbreak, putting them at risk of illness and death. Essential health services and vaccination services are disrupted. As World Immunization Week starts today, we want to remind parents, health workers and partners that…

The world as we know it has changed. Not for generations have we seen so many people impacted at the same time by the same thing: COVID-19. Although COVID-19 unleashed itself at alarming speed around the world, it has not – and it will not – impact everyone equally. Already, we’ve witnessed the countless ways this insidious virus has laid bare the…, Recover., Most urgently, we must keep all children physically safe and mentally well, including the most disadvantaged – those living with disabilities, migrant children, and children of ethnic minorities. Practically, this means supporting those children whose underlying health issues make them vulnerable to the virus. Programmes, such as WASH -- water,…, Rebound., Knowing that health systems are currently stretched to capacity, we must find innovative ways to ‘make space’ for children’s health and wellbeing because many vital face-to-face services, such as immunization and nutrition programmes, are partially or fully suspended. While most schools remain shut, many children and adolescents struggle to learn…, Reimagine., For me this is where the biggest challenge – and the biggest opportunity – is. Without additional investment in children, we risk losing the hard-won development gains of recent years that have seen ever more children survive and thrive. Without that investment, the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and all their promise, will fade in front of…

People around the world are being asked to stay home and this can be a testing time. Young people, adults and caregivers are being asked to study and work from home, and adapt their lives to help contain the spread of COVID-19. Being confined for any extended period can be difficult. Our normal routines and schedules are disrupted and regular…

COVID-19 is spreading fast, with thousands of people across the globe being affected both directly and indirectly by the virus. At ground zero in Wuhan, China, 5-year-old Yuanyuan* was among the first children to see how the virus can turn their lives upside down. Last month, her parents and grandparents tested positive for COVID-19. As the only…

Clean water, medical equipment and supplies for mother and baby, and even innovative ways to increase crop production with composting, are just some of the ways UNICEF is helping families survive and thrive in Jongju, DPR Korea. 33-year-old Ri Hyo Sim, a new mother of a 3-day old baby girl, is confident that she will now be able to give her child…,  , Bringing water into homes, hospitals and schools, Yun Rye Yong, 10, drinks tapped water in her home Sitting with her two grandchildren at home in Jongju City, Kim Ji Sun, recalls a time when simply accessing water was a daily struggle. “Before, we could only access water once or twice a day. I remember we had to limit how much we’d use – you really had to think about making sure you had enough…, An innovative composting system: healthy families, safer water, A few kilometres outside of Jongju City is a farm cooperative of 150 households taking part in trialling an innovative new scheme. The scheme aims to improve health, deal with human waste safely and help these small, vulnerable communities grow more food for their families. Although 82 per cent of children and their families across DPR Korea have…,  , Bringing health care to homes, Dr Ju Song Hui, a household doctor in Jongju City, DPR Korea, checks on the health of two year old Jang “I cover around 130 households, that’s around 510 people,” she says in the home of Pae Hye Sim, mother of 2-year-old Jang Hun. “There are some common complaints from children such as common colds, respiratory problems and diarrhoea,” says the…

Kim Su Hyang, 16 months old, was admitted to Chongdan County Hospital in the south of DPR Korea in a serious condition. “She was very thin, and very weak,” said her mother Ri Yu Jong. “She also had a high fever and cough. I was really worried.” Back in her village, Kim Su Hyang was referred to the hospital by a household doctor who identified her…

When people in developed countries turn on their bathroom or kitchen tap, they rarely question whether water will flow out of it, or whether the toilet will flush when they push a button. But for many people around the world, reliable access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is a daily struggle. It is estimated that in the Democratic…

“I love to see my child healthy and free from diseases,” says Cha Yong Mi, mother of 4 months old Han Ryong Pong at Mirae Dond Polyclinic in DPR Korea.  “I always make sure I bring him to the clinic to get the vaccinations in time – today is very important.” For the last 10 years, UNICEF has been providing routine vaccines to around 350,000…

It’s an unseasonably cool morning in Senxay Village, near central Laos, and a good day for health teams to go door to door to vaccinate children against polio. Mothers like 25-year-old Vardy are delighted to see their babies and children vaccinated. “I’m really happy,” she says with a beaming smile while bouncing her 5-month-old baby up and down…, Community participation, 5 month old He is vaccinated against polio in Non Hai market by a mobile vaccination team 5 month old He is vaccinated against polio in Non Hai market by a mobile vaccination team One big reason for the recent polio outbreak in this part of Laos was, according to village leader Khamphet Chansomphou, because of low awareness about the importance of…