Waterborne disease, starvation kill 11 more children in Thar

MITHI : In the past four days, eleven more children died in Thar’s hospitals, including Mithi Civil Hospital and Islamkot Rural health Care Center, due to an eruption of waterborne diseases and starvation.

According to sources in the health department, since Jan 1 2017, over 172 infants have lost their lives in Tharparkar district.

On Wednesday, dozens of ailing kids were brought to six health facilities of the district.

The patients and the parents of the ailing children complained of the deficiency and lack of amenities and services in hospitals and unavailability of health care units in their distant villages.

They claimed that most of the basic health care units and dispensaries were lying closed in their relevant villages. In spite of many attempts, no health official could be contacted for their side.

After the suo motu notice of the deaths of infants in the Civil Hospital of Mithi, health officials have stopped sharing details of the deaths of infants with media.

To avoid further deaths, health and nutrition experts and activists working in the desert area have observed that there was a need to provide food and safe and harmless drinking water in the region.

They affirmed that the circumstances in the rain dependent region implicit alarming proportions due to escalating temperature and belated monsoon rainfall.

In light of a recent report by UN on Thar and other districts, they urged the government to take precautionary and defensive measures in case of delayed and inconsistent this season.

Source: The Nation