Over 90 percent of Polish children suffer from various developmental defects and ailments, almost one-in-four succumb to chronic diseases and a majority of kids are physically unfit, according to the Polish Paediatric Association (PPA).

Professor Mieczyslaw Walczak from the PPA explains that there is too little emphasis put on sports and diet in modernday Poland.

“Dental problems are most common, and then comes curvature of the spine, a result of too much time before the computer and too little time spent on sports. There are also other serious illnesses like diabetes: each year we register a 5 percent increase of diabetes among Polish children.,” he told Polish Radfio.

The PPA says that there are too few paediatricians in Poland. In effect, the usual control tests conducted among children and teenagers have been dropped and so has the status of the school doctor been liquidated due to lack of personnel.

A shortage in specialists has led to the closing of many children wards in clinics and hospitals.

According to other specialists the situation is a result of the drop in birth rates of the 1990’s .In effect less graduates from medical schools chose to specialise in paediatrics. (ab)

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