Four die of malnutrition in Thar, toll in 2018 mounts to 397

THARPARKAR: Four children on Thursday died in Sindh’s Tharparkar district owing to viral infections and malnutrition, taking the total death count in the region for similar cases during the recent year to 397, sources in Mithi Civil Hospital said.

The trend of infant deaths in the region seems to have carried on from January, during which 54 infants below the age of five lost their lives due to various health issues, sources said.

Meanwhile, parents of sick children at the Mithi Civil Hospital complained lack of medicines at what is the city’s only civil hospital. They also accused the doctors and paramedics of being negligent in their duties.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) newly-elected MPA Qasim Siraj Soomro said that the district will be soon declared calamity hit area.

According to data gathered from local health functionaries, Tharparkar has 183 dispensaries, six Rural Health Centers (RHC), nine Basic Health Units (BHU) and two maternity homes that have the staff but do not get funds for the purchase of medicine.

Every dispensary needs Rs40,000, a BHU needs Rs0.1 million, a maternity home needs Rs0.2m and RHCs need Rs0.3m on a monthly basis to provide the most basic of healthcare facilities to the people. But a lack of budget means that the entire burden falls on the Mithi Civil Hospital, sources added.