Nizamabad: Newborn deaths are alarmingly high

Nizamabad: The high incidence of infant mortality rate in the erstwhile Nizamabad district is alarming. At least 25 to 50 neonatal deaths are taking place at Government Maternity Hospitals in Nizamabad and Kamareddy districts, and the number is even higher in private hospitals.

The negligence of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) authorities in creating awareness among the pregnant women about various issues is reportedly is cause of most of the neonatal deaths. The authorities have failed in educating them about nutrition and health education, immunisation, health check-up, referral services to the rural and urban poor etc.

In Nizamabad district, there are more than 8,547 births annually in Government Maternity Hospitals and more than six per cent of these infants die soon after their birth. Maternal deaths occur mostly in the womb or after the birth.

Gynaecologist and Children's Specialist Dr Bandari Sujatha said the risk of miscarriage, anaemia, malnutrition and lack of ample gap between two children are the most important factors behind the infant death.

The food provided at Anganwadi centres is also not as per the scheduled menu, which is again due to the negligence of ICDS officials.

The officials concerned are not supplying eggs to the anganwadi centres, which should be supplied three times a month. Supplementary nutrition supply is incomplete.

Supreme Court has ordered the District Collectors to direct the authorities to supply sufficient quantity of food. But the ICDS officials allegedly are not providing adequate nutrition for mothers and babies. Pregnant women have increased risk of anaemia in Nizamabad and Kamareddy districts. Because of this, severely underweight children are being born.

Besides, mothers also suffer from several illnesses due to anaemia and malnutrition. Premature births are also a contributing factor to deaths of newborns. Another factor for the infant mortality is that since the mothers are malnourished, they do not have milk to breastfeed the baby.

If the mother is undernourished, then there are more chances for the baby to have health issues at the time of birth. Many of the infants are dying within a week after birth.

Pregnant women are being taken to maternity hospitals in Nizamabad and Kamareddy districts headquarters for childbirth in case of emergency while they are undergoing treatment at government and private hospitals in the district. Pregnant women are more likely to be anaemic.

In most of the cases the doctors are able to save the mothers, but not the child. According to official sources, about 748 new-born children died in 2019 and as many as 63 mothers died after delivery.

The deaths of infants and mothers can be avoided if the officials concerned create awareness among the pregnant women about nutritious food and precautions to be taken during pregnancy and after child delivery. And another main duty is supply of nutritious food to the Anganwadi centres, which will be distributed to the pregnant women.