Five infants die at govt hospital in Thar

HYDERABAD: With four newborns and a toddler reported to have died in a government hospital in Tharparkar district on Sunday, the effects of drought-related malnutrition are still being felt.

Four newborns, up to seven days old, and a three-year-old, Prem Bheel, died at Civil Hospital, Mithi, taking the death toll of infants in the district to over two dozen this month, according to unofficial figures. Parents complained of the delay in providing treatment to save the lives of their children.

In recent years, the desert region has been put on the map because of the ongoing coal projects and the high child mortality rate. Meanwhile, the provincial government claims to have taken measures to improve health facilities, from appointing doctors on vacant posts to improving the conditions of the hospital wards and stationing mobile health teams.

Fayaz Alam, whose non-profit organisation, Dua Foundation has been looking after Mithi Hospital’s nursery for over a year, said that their repeated request for appointment of permanent government staff has remained unheard.

“We are willing to provide free training to the government appointed staff. But our resources don’t allow us to continue paying our staff for the nursery,” said Alam.

Civil Hospital, Mithi, medical superintendent Dr Iqbal Ahmd Burghari referred to the issue as a ‘routine matter’. “Media always exaggerates the number. A few children have died due to premature birth,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29^th, 2016.