
Mothers in focus to control infant mortality rate
42 children die in every thousand due to malnutrition, lack of vaccine
To control the infant mortality rate in the country, the government has started a healthcare programme for mothers and children with the assistance of international organisations.
“The medicines, supplements and now the powdered milk is part of the package given free of cost under the programme assisted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF,” said Dr Asif Ali Khan, Senior Medical Officer at the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) in Karachi.
NICH is the only tertiary care unit for children in the government sector. A visit to the NICH revealed that the emergency ward was crowded with people who came from far-flung areas of Sindh and Balochistan for the treatment of their children.
According to Dr Asif, NICH is receiving more patients these days as people in search of low-cost treatment visit government hospitals. “Most cases are of measles, pneumonia, and diarrhoea among children coming from Orangi Town and Korangi as well as rural areas of Sindh and Balochistan. If not cured in time, these diseases could lead to the death of a child,” he said.
He was of the view that malnutrition in mothers-to-be can put the child at risk of multiple problems, including physical abnormality. The common disease in our area is ‘rickets’ which develops in children due to Vitamin D3 deficiency coupled with the shortage of calcium resulting in bow legs, he added.
In urban areas, dieting cause complications during a pregnancy, he said, adding, “Women must quit dieting after they get pregnant and eat home-cooked food including vegetables. Taking proper nutrition is vital and they should regularly visit a doctor.”
Dr Asif also emphasized the need for immunisation. He cited the government immunization follow-up programme
in collaboration with the Pakistan Pediatrics Association (PPA). It used to give a barcode to parents on their first visit and kept a follow-up by phone reminders. According to PPA, the birth rate in Pakistan stood at 3.2 per cent while 42 deaths are recorded in every thousand children.
In a recently held moot in Karachi, the association gave guidelines for administering oxygen to neonates. President PPA Dr Jamal Raza said there was no standard procedure for giving oxygen to a child. In collaboration with UNICEF, new guidelines will be implemented in hospitals. Administering oxygen in premature children or neonates could lead to retinopathy or immaturity, he added.
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