Eight more infants die of malnutrition and viral infections in Mithi

SUKKUR: At least eight more infants died of malnutrition, viral infections and water-borne diseases in the Tharparkar district over the past two days.

The infants, who lost their lives in the Civil Hospital Mithi, were brought from remote villages for the better treatment. With the death of eight more infants, the death toll of the children, who lost their lives due to malnutrition and viral infections, has risen to 235 during the five months of the current year.

The health officials, on the condition of anonymity, told that 62 children below five years of age were admitted in the hospital during the past two days, adding that many of them were in a highly critical condition.

The parents of the deceased children and of those admitted in the civil hospital, lamented that they had neither the healthcare facilities nor the safe drinking water in their villages. They said that they had informed the concerned authorities that most of the people were suffering from the water-borne diseases, nevertheless, they were being forced to drink the highly contaminated water of the wells.

The health and nutrition experts working in the Tharparkar district, including Dr Shaikh Tanweer Ahmed of the Health and Nutrition Development Society (HANDS), while talking to the reporter, urged the government to provide the safe drinking water and ensure the basic healthcare facilities in every village to avoid the deaths of the kids.