Jaisalmer: Indicating a rise in female infanticide in Jaisalmer -- where villages had acquired notoriety for killing the girl child -- 38 newborns were found dead in the past three months. While sources say most of the newborns were girls and seven infants died from July 1 to 15 alone, the number could be more as many births go unreported. Most of these children were born in houses where midwives helped in delivery.
A week ago, the leg of a newborn was found on Pokhran Sakadiya road, which was probably picked by some dog. During the investigation, the body of the newborn was found near the village and dogs were eating it. The body was so mutilated that the sex of the baby could not ascertained. This case was not reported on time.
Similarly, two days ago at Gomat village in Pokhran tehsil, the body of a newborn girl was found. Investigation revealed that the infant had died after birth and the body was thrown in the open. Even this case was not reported to the police or administration.
Though the health department has been making efforts to bring down the death rate of newborns, these are not up to the mark. The department does not have any field force or complete resources. Eighty two posts of auxiliary nurses & midwives (ANMs) are lying vacant in the district due to which over 60 primary health centres are closed. The villagers are forced to depend on quacks or midwives, due to which there is always a danger to the woman and the newborn. Three pregnant women died between April and June during delivery.
Chief medical & health officer Anand Gopal Purohit confirmed that from April 1 to June 30, 31 infants died and reasons could be many. However, the health department is promoting safe institutional delivery and efforts are being made to bring down the infant mortality rate, he said.
According to Purohit, ANMs in PHCs and sub centres had been directed to inform the doctors about the birth and death of newborns. They were also instructed to inform 104 services about child births or death of women during delivery.
District collector Shuchi Tyagi, expressing concern over the rising number of deaths of newborns, said she had requested the state government to provide more resources and field force to control such incidents after getting information about suspicious deaths of some newborn in the villages.
The collector said that under Save Girl Child Awareness Campaign, she would be organizing a women's meet soon in which woman public representatives along with women from all over the district will be invited. Apart from this, those married women will be felicitated who have two or more girl children and have imparted them good education.Link: Over 38 newborns died in Jaisalmer
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