THARPARKAR: Two children passed away in Mithi’s Civil Hospital on Wednesday taking the toll of children dying for various reasons in Sindh’s Tharparker region to 177 this year.
All the deaths have been due to malnutrition and the outbreak of viral infections in the region.
Moreover, the health department stated that every year, 1,500 children die due to malnutrition, infections and lack of proper medical facilities in the remote region.
Earlier in January, about 54 infants died due to the similar viral infections in Tharparkar which has 183 dispensaries, six Rural Health Centers (RHC), nine Basic Health Units (BHU) and two maternity homes in total.
It is also reported that although these health facilities have a sufficient staff, they lack funds to purchase medicines that are required to be given to the infants.
Curbing undernourishment and maternal ill-health continues to be a glaring challenge for Pakistan’s health sector. Tharparkar was reaching an alarming level owing to prolonged drought and a shortage of drinking water.
Maternal death figures in the district were highest in the province and stressed the need to make sincere efforts to provide nutrition to newborns and pre-natal healthcare to pregnant women at their doorsteps in order to avoid more fatalities.