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Infant mortality rate a cause for concern
As many as 451 infant, 25 maternal deaths and 348 low birth weight cases were registered at the Old Government General Hospital here since January 2016 due to lack of awareness on health among the rural pregnant women. Though both the Central and State governments have been spending crores of rupees to contain deaths, women are reportedly not given sufficient nutritious food at the time of pregnan
Vijayawada: As many as 451 infant, 25 maternal deaths and 348 low birth weight cases were registered at the Old Government General Hospital here since January 2016 due to lack of awareness on health among the rural pregnant women. Though both the Central and State governments have been spending crores of rupees to contain deaths, women are reportedly not given sufficient nutritious food at the time of pregnancy, mostly in rural areas in the state.
The Vijayawada Old Government General Hospital doctors performed a total of 4,079 cesarean operations and 379 abortions since January 2016. The hospital gynecologist, S Lakshmi (name changed), said, “Many pregnant women are facing anemia problem due to lack nutrition at their home. Pregnant women’s husbands were spending their maximum income on consumption of alcohol and not providing nutritious food to their wives at the time of pregnancy mainly in rural areas.”
She mentioned that the State government should recruit doctors and nurses based on doctor-patient ratio in all the government hospitals for proving best services to pregnant women and avoiding home deliveries at village-level. “Primary Health Centre doctors should take care of pregnant women and they should detect any disease among pregnant women for saving baby and mother at the time of delivery,” she added.
She said that the State government should change the excise policy to prevent infant mortality rate and low birth weight babies in the government hospitals. She pointed out that awareness should be created among rural people to prevent child marriages. Early marriages of girl child lead to rise in infant mortality rate and mother mortality rate due to lack of awareness over health, she added.
Gynecologist S V Radhika said that rural area pregnant women were not attending to regular medical check-ups in the Primary Health Centres and other private hospitals due to lack of awareness over their health conditions at the time of pregnancy and they are not taking proper nutritious food from five months onwards due to lack of economical support from their family members.
She said that pregnant women should check sugar, blood pressure and diabetes through tests for avoiding infant mortality and low birth weight babies. Most of the pregnant women are facing anemia problem due to lack of balanced diet, she added. She mentioned that the medical officials at the Primary Health Centres and sub-centres should conduct awareness programmes over nutritious food to pregnant women.
By: ANJAIAH DESABOINA
