Today these deaths have just stayed to be mere statistics as both the federal and provincial governments
KECH: Life is tough for people living in Tharparkar district of Sindh province. Extreme heat in the summer season, scarcity of food, unsafe and brackish water, and a severe lack of access to basic health facilities have had an adverse effect on the life and wellbeing of the communities living in the district.
Reports say that five more infants aged between four days to 18 months have succumbed to malnutrition in the Civil Hospital in Mithi on Monday, February 18. The deaths of these children have raised the overall death toll in Tharparkar district for this month to 35 and for this year to 101. The reports also say that 55 more malnourished children are under treatment at the Civil Hospital.
The absence of a proper government response, lack of healthcare facilities and an acute scarcity of water are amongst the major reasons for the deaths of small children in Tharparkar. And today these deaths have just stayed to be mere statistics as both the federal and provincial governments turn a blind eye to the humanitarian issue.
Durdanag Peer Bakhsh
Published in The Express Tribune, February 20th, 2019.
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