Coronavirus: Sindh launches health helpline for pregnant women, children

The Sindh Population Department has introduced a health helpline for pregnant women and newborns in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.

In Karachi, the Population Council and the Population Welfare Department have set up a helpline 021-35205383 for women’s reproductive health.

According to officials, the helpline aims to provide useful advice on protecting the health of pregnant women and newborns amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Women can get information on the helpline from Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm.

Note that, United Nations Children’s Emergency  Fund (UNICEF) has warned that more than 400,000 children in South Asia could suffer from the coronavirus also known as COVID-19, in next six month, with India to be the hardest hit.

The world body estimates that 440,000 children will be affected in South Asia over the next six months if countries do not take immediate action. The numbers are based on analysis by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, newly published in The Lancet Global Health journal. As many as 3,00,000 children may be affected over the next six months in India alone owing to the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the dread virus, UNICEF has said.

UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia, Jean Gough said “We must protect the mothers, the pregnant women and children in South Asia at all cost. Fighting the pandemic is critical but we cannot lose momentum on the decades of progress we have made in the region to reduce preventable maternal and child deaths,” “It is crucial that childbirth, child health and nutrition services remain available for families during the time of COVID-19,”

Furthermore, the world body of the United Nations,  UNICEF warns these disruptions could result in potentially devastating increases in deaths of mothers and children.

The study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, newly published in The Lancet Global Health journal further said nearly 95,000 children could suffer severely from coronavirus in Pakistan, 28,000 in Bangladesh, 13,000 in Afghanistan, 4,000 in Nepal, the study suggests.

Also read: UN expects 110 mn children to be born amidst the pandemic