Most countries in the Region have to date introduced the Integrated Management of Childhood Health (IMCI) strategy to address key public child health issues. Countries may have policies concerning specific aspects of child care, for example on exclusive breastfeeding promotion, immunization, control of diarrhoeal diseases and acute respiratory infections, malaria control, essential drugs, primary health care. The term "policy" is often used to refer to ministerial statements and speeches, technical guidelines such as those contained in training materials, planning documents, decrees, directives and circulars, that influence public health activities in the health sector, at health facility and community level. The term may also be used simply to refer to established, prevailing practices in a specific domain. However, most countries in the Region do not have written child health policies that provide a holistic view and unified approach to child health and development.    Top

The strong need has in recent years been recognized to develop national child health policies in countries, to complement and bring together in one document all the main elements and issues related to child care, including both illness and healthy growth and development. Competing health priorities, inadequate investments in health—including human resources, health services and community interventions to improve childcare in the home—, and underutilized partnerships are but few examples of factors limiting progress. In this environment, policies can provide clear long-term directions and commitments.   Top

The development of a national child health policy, including also child feeding, has been one of the main recommendations made by participants of many countries during the Regional Workshop on Infant and Young Child Feeding, held in Casablanca, 28-31 July 2003, and the IMCI Inter-country Meeting held in Tunisia, 1-4 September 2003.  Top

Member States have committed to achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Several of these goals concern directly or indirectly child health. The development of a national child health policy, endorsed at the highest possible national level, would enable countries to "institutionalize" this commitment and translate it into stronger action.   Top

To respond to this need, the Regional Office has taken a leading role in assisting countries in developing national child health policies, and launched the Child Health Policy Initiative (CHPI) in October 2003. To date, 5 countries have formally joined the initiative, namely Egypt, Morocco, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic and Tunisia. The initiative aims to assist interested countries in developing national child health policies, to establish a legal framework that gives clear long-term directions and support to improve the health status of children. The policy document is recognized also as a requirement for long-term sustainability of interventions. It is expected to harmonize partners' actions and contributions, identifying priorities and laying out strategies and interventions to ensure equitable access to health care for everyone, including the most disadvantaged families.

The Child Health Policy Initiative proposes three main phases for the national child health policy development process:

Phase I: Situation analysis

Phase II: Policy document development

Phase III: Official adoption of the policy document

Since the foundations of a national child health policy should lie in an in-depth review of the current child care situation, the Regional Office has developed the document "Development of National Child Health Policy - Phase 1: The Situation Analysis", as part of the Child Health Policy Initiative. The early experience of the 5 countries which joined the Child Health Policy Initiative in the Region has been taken into consideration during the preparation of this document. Country experience on CHPI was reviewed in a series of intercountry workshops, the first held in Damascus in 2004, the second in Cairo in 2005 and the third in Tunis in 2006.

The development of a national policy requires high-level political support within the health system to facilitate the process, including the management and coordination of all the required tasks. The formal establishment of a Task Force at national level can help pursue this objective. The document developed by the Regional Office describes the terms of reference of the Task Force, its composition, including resource persons, and the possibility of setting up also a Steering Committee to advocate at the highest levels of the health system.   Top

Last updated on 19 July 2007