Seventy-nine thousand children in the country died before the age of five in 2020 due to poor health services. The data was released a few days ago by the United Nations, which adds that almost 60 million children could die before 2030 if there is no investment in health.

Meanwhile, a report by the United Nations, quoted by the O País portal, reveals that there has been a downward trend in infant mortality over the last 20 years. According to the document, in 1990 Mozambique had a mortality rate of 245 per 1,000 live births among children under the age of five.

In 2000, the number dropped to 171 and, in 2020, 72 children died for every thousand births.

The United Nations also indicates that the number of deaths of children under five in the country has fallen from 128,000 in 2000 to 79,000 in 2020.

The director of UNICEF's Division of Data Analysis, Planning and Monitoring, Vidhya Ganesh, is quoted in the document as saying that the reduction in the rate is global, but more work needs to be done.

"Progress is possible with stronger political will and targeted investment in equitable access to primary health care for every woman and child," said the source.

The UN warns that if rapid action is not taken to improve health services, almost 60 million children and young people will die worldwide before 2030, and almost 16 million babies will be stillborn.

"Access to and availability of quality healthcare remains a matter of life and death for children worldwide.

Most child deaths occur in the first five years, half of which occur in the first month of life. For these youngest babies, premature birth and complications during childbirth are the main causes of death.

The document indicates that Sub-Saharan Africa was responsible for 56% of all under-five deaths in 2021, and South Asia for 26% of the total. Children born in sub-Saharan Africa are subject to the highest risk of child death in the world - 15 times higher than the risk for children in Europe and North America.