Malnutrition Causes 9.4% Of The Total Infant Deaths

Of all infant deaths, about 9.4% are contributed due to malnutrition and babies which are underweight, as admitted by Public Health Department Minister Dr Deepak Sawant. When we look at the official statistics there have been 21,985 infant deaths in the state in 2016-2017. Mr Sawant said, "In 2014-15, 25,289 children were found malnourished and in 2015-16, 20,435 children were malnourished. The authorities have also found that 9.4 per cent of child deaths between age group 0 to 6 were due to them being underweight." This response came after several legal assemblies had asked queries about child deaths.

The Bombay High Court had asked the State Government to make problems like infanticide and child malnutrition a priority. This was even more important than waiver of farm loans, the court said. Moreover, the pre-existing policies to curb malnutrition and child weight loss are not doing their job well enough.

Sawant replied this petition by saying that they have set up a technical assistance unit to overcome malnutrition and undernourishment in the Mantralaya and the district collectorates. "A concept of model anganwadi has been implemented. Volunteers in anganwadis have been given tables for real time evaluation of a child's health," Sawant said. He added by stating, "Children detected with severe malnourishment are being administered immediate treatment."

In the time period between 2015 and 2016, there were as many as 2,834 cases of acute malnutrition and 17,601 cases of moderate malnourishments among the infants in the state. The High Court is hearing a petition to make a decision regarding these infant death

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