At least 39 children under the age of five years have died in Tharparkar due to lack of proper medical facilities. Talking to media persons, Provincial Minister for Health Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar said that media was exaggerating the number of deaths in Thar.
He said that during current month, three children died due to premature birth, seven children died due to birth asphyxia, three died due to pneumonia, 12 died due to neonatal sepsis while 10 died due to other causes.
The Health Minister said that "on January 25, 114 children were admitted to Civil Hospital Mithi, out of which two died while two seriously ill children were referred to Hyderabad."
Dahar said that currently in Mithi, Diplo, Nagarparkar and Chachro, 109 children were under treatment and all possible medical facilities were being provided to them.
While replying to a question, he said that in January, almost 390 patients were treated. Among them 210 were male, 87 were female and 93 children were under 5 years. He said that the Health Department was utilising all resources to provide health facilities to the patients.
He further said that adequate funds had been provided to the concerned DHOs for fuel and maintenance of ambulances.