KARACHI
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday said there was no malnutrition case in drought-hit Tharparkar District of Sindh, where 193 children were reported to have died over the past three months.
Tharparkar, the desert area of Sindh, is facing a famine-like situation and as many as 32 children have died of malnutrition. Overall, 193 children have reportedly died in the desert district over the past three months. Bilawal, however, denied these reports.
In his tweets, he said, “There is a 73-bed hospital at Mithi out of which 70 beds are taken. There are 21 children, 4 of them in nursery and 17 in pediatrics.”
“None is a malnutrition case. But there are cases of pneumonia, meningitis and diarrhoea. General malnutrition level reduced resistance to combat disease,” he said.
He said that mobile medical teams were in the field.
“There is a great shortage of doctors, requested the Pakistan Medical Association to help out. The PMA has assured of its full support.”
The PPP leader said that doctors and paramedics would be sent to Taluka hospitals where they were most needed.
An army medical camp with supplies is being put up in the afternoon. Relief goods are also coming in from the army. The problem of sending wheat supplies has been resolved, he added.
He said that 15 mobile vaccination teams were operating in the area, attending 250,000 animals per day and that he was expecting 500,000 more vaccine vials by Friday.