The current situation of economic crisis in Spain is news every day. In the blog we often talk about the impact of this crisis on families and children, and this issue is also a matter of concern for pediatricians.
In a survey, it has been specially evaluated whether the cuts that are being applied in the health field influence professional work and if they directly affect the quality of care for children. The answer, we already assumed, is yes.
The Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP) has carried out the survey "The crisis, children and pediatricians", in order to assess the impression of this group around the consequences that the crisis may have on the health of Spanish children .
If on the one hand we can point out that breastfeeding rates have increased with the crisis, on the other this situation does not favor the health of children. As we have said on other occasions, Spanish pediatricians care for more children than recommended, and pediatricians are still missing in Spain.
Here we extract the most relevant data that emerge from the survey conducted among pediatricians and hopefully serve to claim the rights of both professionals and, above all, children:
For 71% of pediatricians, saving measures harm the health of the sick.
55% of pediatricians perceive that there is an "impact" on the health of children as a result of the economic crisis, and almost one in four believes that this impact is significant.
54% of pediatricians believe that the crisis is limiting access to medicines.
The de-financing of certain medications is affecting the follow-up of treatment, according to 45% of pediatricians. Of this group, 17% consider that a lot and 4% a lot.
We were wondering a while ago if the crisis is the enemy of good nutrition, and according to pediatricians it seems that it is having an impact on food advice. 56% of professionals say that these tips are not being followed.
Childhood vaccination is one of the measures where the impact of the cuts is being noticed. 80% of respondents believe that the administration of vaccines not funded by the SNS has decreased.
The perception of 84% of pediatricians is that depression, anxiety and addiction disorders are increasing in recent months in families. This fact has an impact on the health of children, according to 80%.
According to 54% of pediatricians, waiting lists have been increased both in the hospital and in the primary reference centers.
In addition, there is a climate of dissatisfaction with the work performed by professionals, which could also have an impact on the quality of their care. The saturation of the consultations is another issue on which many pediatricians agree.
This survey was conducted between July and September 2012 and does not include the impact derived from the measures taken by the Central Government and the regional governments in October and November. Will the data now be even worse?
Everything seen is summarized in the survey conclusions:
The AEP considers worrying the situation that reflects the survey, both for the relative deterioration of child health in Spain that shows, as for the negative effect of the crisis and the saving measures in the conditions in which the pediatrician develops his work.
The increase in non-funded medicines, access to medicines, the impact of the crisis on children's health, the increase in psychological disorders ... are issues that deserve to be made public and remembered to see if, among all, the accent on "trim" on other sides that do not affect health.
