Daily Times

PESHAWAR: According to a report of the District Health Information System (DHIS) during the 2nd quarter of 2016 around 859 Neonatal deaths of children were reported across the province in district headquarters hospitals while around 60 mothers died during pregnancy across the province.

The DHIS report holds the lack of facilities in district headquarter hospitals (DHQs) responsible for deaths, adding the Infant Mortality Ratio (IMR) is higher in these facilities across the province.

The report further said that in district Bannu the number of deliveries conducted in government facilities were 2,892 while around 244 Neonatal deaths were reported. Similarly, in Dera Ismail Khan around 2,181 deliveries were conducted while around 146 Neonatal deaths were reported in the facilities while the ratio of Neonatal Mortality Ratio (NMR) was 71 in the district.

In Swat 7,317 deliveries were conducted in government health facilities in which 219 Neonatal deaths were reported in health facilities while 32 NMR were reported. While 1531 deliveries were conducted in Mansehra district where around 43 death of Neonatal were reported while NMR rate were 29.

About 2,695 deliveries were conducted in Kohat district while around 72 Neonatal deaths were reported in government health facilities while around 28 were NMR ratio. Similarly in Buner district around 1,747 deliveries were conducted while 38 Neonatal deaths were reported while NMR was 23 in the district.

Tor Ghar, one of the most backward areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa around 57 deliveries were conducted while 49 Neonatal deaths were reported while the NMR was 20.

In Malakand 30, 17 deliveries were conducted while 32 Neonatal deaths were reported in government run health facilities while the NMR was 12. The report mentioned Lakki Marwat, Kohistan, Hangu, Dir-Lower and Peshawar as the districts where no Neonatal deaths were reported between April and June 2016.

Similarly in Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) around 60 mothers were died during pregnancy and other complication in the province from April to June 2016.

According to the report of DHIS in Dir Upper around 821 pregnant women were registered by Lady Health Workers (LHW) while around nine maternal death were reported while 598 Maternal Mortality Ratio in 100,000 population.

In district Mansehra around 4,156 pregnant women were registered by LHWs as eight maternal deaths were reported while the ratio of MMR was 556.

Similarly in district Swabi 1,888 pregnant women were registered by LHW while six mothers were died during pregnancy.

When contacted Maternal Neonatal Child Health (MNCH) programme Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) officer Dr Hidayat said that for the last one and a half year they were facing shortage of funds and were not providing medicines to RHC and other health facilities on district level.

He further said that MNCH programme trained around 1300 Community Mid Wives (CMWs), adding that the programme covering 21 per cent population in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said the programme not covering DHQ hospitals in the province as the DHQ hospitals responsible is Medical Superintend (MS).

He informs that there were only five Nursery Baby Care Centers in the entire province as these are in Swat, Bannu, D. I. Khan, Karak etc.

He added that there were no neonatologist specialists in the province while there shortage of well-trained birth attendant and nurses in the province to control the Infant Mortality Ratio and Maternal Mortality Ratio in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.