Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Sindh Health Secretary Dr Fazlullah on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that a total of 98 children and infants died in Thar since January. The secretary informed the court that a total of 1,563 children were admitted in hospitals in 2017.

On April 16, Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar had taken notice of death of five infants at Civil Hospital in Mithi due to malnutrition and diseases. He had also ordered the relevant authorities to submit a report.

The report read that the causes of these deaths were low birth weight, severe pneumonia, neo-natal sepsis, bacterial blood, respiratory distress syndrome, malnutrition and diarrhea.

The report added that out of these 98 deaths of children, 25 infants died due to low birth weight, 18 due to lack of required oxygen, nine died of pneumonia, three due to respiratory distress syndrome, two due to malnutrition, one of diarrhea while 17 children died due to other reasons. The Health Department, however, said that none of the five infants, on which the court had taken notice, died of malnutrition. The report said the main vulnerability for Thar was water scarcity, health care and remoteness. The total population of Thar is 1.38 million, out of which 0.27 million were infants.