In Maharashtra, 40 Kids Under Age of 1 Die Every Day; Docs Says 'Pregnant Women Shouldn't Miss Meds'

As many as 40 children under the age of one die in Maharashtra every day, a publication reported after studying the data of government medical colleges and reaching to an estimate figure.

According to a report in Times of India, about two-thirds of those who die are less than a month old.

Consider Nanded, where 24 deaths occurred in a 24-hour period in Shankarrao Chavan Hospital. Of them, 12 were newborns between one and three days old. Six of the newborns had respiratory distress, the report stated.

“It needs to be assessed if manual ambu bags (manual resuscitators) were available in the hospital or senior staff trained in using them were around,” TOI quoted a doctor as saying.

In the Government Medical College on Ghati Road, in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where 18 deaths occurred in a 24-hour period ending Tuesday, two were pre-term babies just a few days old, the report stated.

The publication quoted a state health official as saying, “We have seen an improvement in the last few years. And most of the causes such as congenital abnormality cannot be controlled.”

The leading causes of neonatal death are prematurity, low birth weight and respiratory distress, the report stated.

A doctor from a hospital in erstwhile Aurangabad, however, was quoted as saying that premature births have increased of late. “The main reason for preterm deliveries is maternal nutrition deficiency, which results from lack of awareness. While macro nutrients are consumed, many pregnant women miss out on micro nutrients such as iron, zinc that are equally important and responsible for a child’s growth in the mother’s womb,” GMCH’s associate prof and neonatal section in-charge Amol Joshi was quoted.