Two more children have succumbed to malnutrition in the past 24 hours as the total number of children passing away due to various reasons in Sindh’s Tharparkar region continues to escalate at an alarming rate.
The deaths took place at Civil Hospital, Mithhi with the with the deceased including an infant and a four-month-old, the Sindh Health Department said. With the recent deaths included, the death toll in Tharparkar has risen up to 32 for this month and 508 for the year.
According to the health department, every year 1,500 children die due to malnutrition, infections and lack of proper medical facilities in the remote region. A United Nation’s Children Fund report, released in April, stated that Pakistan was among countries with the highest infant mortality rates, with 22 infants dying before turning one month old.
Among these countries, eight are in Africa and two in Asia, including Afghanistan which is ranked third. “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 and Singapore.”