THARPARKAR: The commision to look into the causes of death of children in Tharparkar district, created by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar, reached the affected areas Wednesday.
The CJP had ordered the formation of the commision last month following a dramatic increase in the deaths of children in the district, reportedly due to high-level of malnutrition caused by drought.
A meeting under the supervision of Inspector General of Police (IGP) for Gilgit-Baltistan Sanaullah Abbasi was held Wednesday where officials from the Sindh Health Department were present.
Abbasi, who heads the commission, said a complete report regarding the deaths of children will be submitted to the Supreme Court.
The IGP said that the commission has information regarding the appointment of doctors and other healthcare officials in the area and will tour and assess the various hospitals and rural health centres in the district to understand the situation on-ground.
According to the Sindh health department, 1,500 children lose their lives every year due to malnutrition, infections and lack of proper medical facilities in the remote region.
A recent report by the United Nation’s Children Fund in April revealed that Pakistan is in the list of countries with highest mortality rates with 22 infants dying before turning one month old.
The other countries on the list include eight in Africa and two in Asia, including Afghanistan, which ranks on the third place.
“Pakistan is the riskiest place to be born as measured by its newborn mortality rate,” the report stated. “A baby born in Pakistan is almost 50 times more likely to die during his or her first month than a baby born in Japan, Iceland or Singapore.”
