The country’s annual birth rate has dropped significantly from 350,000 to 250,000, according to Lady Ridgeway Hospital Consultant Pediatrician Dr. Deepal Perera.
This decline is evident in the reduced grade one school enrolment numbers each year, highlighting a shrinking pediatric population.
Dr. Perera attributes this drop to economic challenges, with many young people migrating, delaying marriage, or opting not to have children.
He cautioned that the falling birth rate could impact the future workforce and lead to a growing elderly population.
Dr. Perera stressed the importance of protecting the existing child population, who are increasingly vulnerable to diseases, developmental disorders like autism, and psychological challenges.
He urged parents to focus on proper nutrition and highlighted exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months as critical for infants’ health. Targeted interventions, he added, are necessary to address these pressing issues.
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