15 January 2005	Saturday	04 Zilhaj 1425

KARACHI, Jan 14: The city, in a span of not more than one month, witnessed another birth of quadruplets at a local hospital in Nazimabad area on Thursday evening , enhancing the urgency for necessary facilities to cater to the considerably rare instance of more than one babies born to one mother at the same time.

All the three boys and a girl born to Rubina Said have low weights, with one weighing 1.1 kg, another 0.9 kg, and the remaining two weighing only 0.8 kg each. According to the hospital administrator, Talat Anjum, premature born babies (28 weeks) are being provided all possible medical assistance and are presently kept in incubators.

However, many of the paediatricians talking to APP reminded that most paediatrics units at both private and public sector hospitals as well as clinics were devoid of essential facilities, as infant ventilators and incubators were prerequisite for infants born below 2.5 kg, categorised as under weight. A healthy infant is considered to be one born with 3.5 kg.

Dr Mobina Agboatwala of the Civil Hospital Karachi said that quadruplets were generally anaemic and feeble, but the intensity of their health status further deteriorated particularly in the developing world due to poor nutritional status of their mothers. The quadruplets often due to their abnormal birth were difficult to be breast fed. - APP