Two more neonates die in Mithi, raising this month’s toll to 34

THARPARKAR: Two more newly-born children died here at the Civil Hospital Mithi on Sunday, bringing this month’s toll in the desert to 34.

The health department said that underweight, malnutrition and premature births caused deaths of the neonates.

Earlier this year in April, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar took suo motu notice of the death of five infants at the Mithi Civil Hospital because of malnutrition and diseases.

The notice was taken on a news report published in a section of the media that more than 11,000 ailing children were brought to six health facilities in Mithi district for treatment since the beginning of this year and at least five infants had lost their lives due to malnutrition and diseases at the Civil Hospital, raising this year’s death toll to 64.

The report stated that problems pertaining to a water crisis, healthcare shortcomings and remoteness were the most crucial factors and that the parents had complained of lack of facilities at hospitals.

The Supreme Court has not been taking suo motu notices as frequently in recent times as were taken during the tenure of former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry who retired in December 2013 after serving in the apex court for over a decade.