The Sindh government has expressed the fear that the situation in Mithi of Tharparkar district (Sindh) where five infants have recently died of diseases and malnutrition may further depreciate if the area does not collect rains in the coming monsoon season. Problems pertaining to a water crisis, healthcare shortcomings and frostiness were the most crucial factors and that the parents had complained of lack of facilities at hospitals.

The total population of Tharparkar district is 1,308,368 of which 217,659 are infants/children under the age of five years. According to the report of the Tharparkar’s district health officer which was submitted before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, none of the five toddlers died due to malnutrition, instead they perished due to causes like neonatal sepsis, pneumonia, birth asphyxia and pre-term / low birth weight. In 2016, total expiries of children in Tharparkar were 479 of which 404 died in the district headquarters Mithi whereas 87 infants died in Mithi in the first quarter of 2017 out of the entire of 98 in the district.

ABDUL RAUF RAJPOOT,

Islamabad, May 6.