Malnourished Buldhana baby girl dies, mom battles for life

MUMBAI: The malnourished baby girl from Buldhana, who was admitted to Akola government hospital, died on Tuesday. The causes of death were given as pre-maturity, extreme low birth weight with septicaemia.
The baby, born on May 20, weighed 1,020 gram. Subsequently, she started losing weight, and at the time of death, she weighed 880 gm, said officials from the Government Medical College, Akola.
TOI, in its May 29 edition, had highlighted the baby’s plight and the problem of malnutrition in Sangrampur block. The problem has worsened due to the drought. While there is no trace of healthcare in the region, officials blame people for not approaching anganwadis for help or seeking medical treatment.
“The baby was very fragile when she was brought here. Due to septicaemia, all her organs were getting affected. She was under observation but finally succumbed,” said Dr Prashant Uikey, head of gynaecology department and acting dean of the hospital.
Meanwhile, the baby’s mother, Sarjubai Tota (18) is unaware of her baby’s death. She herself is battling for life. “It is difficult to say if she will survive. She is extremely emaciated and anaemic. She is suffering from full-blown pulmonary tuberculosis,” said Dr Uikey.
The Sangrampur taluka comprises 105 villages and has 3.25 lakh residents. Of these, 15,000 live below the poverty line. While the entire region is plagued by malnutrition, 18 tribal villages have been hit the hardest. The health department of the district also conducted a health camp on Tuesday and has decided to address the concerns of the villagers. At the health camp, it was found that of the 144 kids examined, 32 suffered from medium malnutrition and four from severe. The others were in danger of being declared malnourished. “Not only the children, their mothers, too, are malnourished. Until care is given to mothers, nothing can be done to children,” said activist Kailash Khade.