THARPARKAR: A deepening humanitarian crisis has unfolded at Civil Hospital Mithi, where 46 innocent children have succumbed to malnutrition and disease in the past three weeks. The district headquarters hospital remains overwhelmed, with 70 children currently under treatment for ailments exacerbated by severe cold and chronic food insecurity.
The Medical Superintendent confirmed that three more infants, all under one year of age, died in the last 24 hours. These children, born with critically low birth weights—a direct consequence of maternal malnutrition—could not survive despite medical intervention. “These children were suffering from various diseases that could not be cured during treatment,” the MS stated, highlighting the compounded vulnerabilities faced from birth.
The hospital’s pediatric ward, designed for a capacity of 70, is currently treating 76 sick children, stretching resources beyond their limit. This overcrowding underscores a systemic failure to address Tharparkar’s recurring seasonal crisis, where drought, poverty, and inadequate healthcare converge with deadly results.
Compounding the tragedy, parents of the ailing children report a severe lack of essential medical facilities in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. The absence of vital equipment and specialized care is turning the hospital from a place of refuge into a site of despair.
This escalating tragedy is not an isolated incident but a stark annual reminder of the chronic neglect facing Tharparkar. The recurring cycle of infant mortality points to deep-rooted issues requiring urgent, long-term solutions in food security, maternal health, and healthcare infrastructure. As the ward remains packed beyond capacity, the community and health officials await immediate intervention to prevent further loss of young lives in one oPakistan’s most vulnerable regions.
