THARPARKAR (Staff Report) – Another infant has died due to malnutrition in the drought-hit Thar Desert, pushing the death toll to 33 in Tharparkar, Sindh.
On the other hand, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah seemed very annoyed by the media reports about the baby’s death. “We cannot save new-borns in an area of 1.6 million residents, especially when parents don’t take their children to hospital in time,” the CM told the media on Tuesday.
The 16-day-old baby died on Tuesday while being shifted to Karachi from Mithii which raised the death toll to 33 due to malnutrition and other water-borne disease in the current month.
As many as 32 children have been admitted and provided with medical treatment at the Civil Hospital Mithi.
Whereas total 52 children have been provided with medical treatment in the government hospital of Nagarparkar, Islamkot and Diplo.
With over three dozen deaths within a week due to the latest famine to have struck Tharparkar, Sindh food minister Nasir Hussain Shah claims there is no shortage of food in the area.
“The situation in Thar is comparatively better than it was in previous years,” Shah said while speaking at a press conference on Sunday. “There is no famine-like situation anywhere in the area.”
The minister added that the government was getting civic and health facilities in Thar upgraded and that there were no complaints about paucity of medical facilities at the Civil Hospital in Mithi, whereas a sufficient number of doctors and paramedics were also present.
As for the deaths of minors in the area were concerned, the food minister said the deaths occurred because the doctors lacked the awareness of dealing with newborn babies and the mother.
