The drought: Sindh government turns to foreign donors

HYDERABAD/ MITHI: As the number of children's deaths continues to increase in Tharparkar, the provincial government appealed to foreign donors to help mitigate the drought situation.

Provincial minister Rubina Qaimkhani chaired a meeting with the representatives of the World health Organisation (WHO), World Food Programme (WFP), United States Agency for International development (USAID), and other nongovernmental organisations in Mithi on Thursday.

Talking to the media after the meeting, she reiterated the stance of Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah that the government is not responsible for the deaths. "There is no shortage of doctors in Tharparkar and a team of Aga Khan University Hospital also expressed satisfaction over the health facilities."

Health Secretary Iqbal Durrani said that the USAID will finance the repair of 23 vehicles used by the lady health workers (LHWs) and will also provide 50 motorcycles for the vaccinators. Up to 15 groups of LHWs, consisting of five in each group, will undergo a four-month training of midwifery, he added.

Meanwhile, two more children died in Civil Hospital, Mithi, on Thursday. This takes the child mortality figure to 56 in 44 days. Forty-day-old Ashfaq, son of Kabil Junejo, and 25-day-old Ayesha, daughter of Younus Hingorjo, died after undergoing medical treatment for a few days.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th, 2014.