HYDERABAD, May 18: Quoting a survey conducted recently in the country, District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Ahmed Ali Talpur has said 276 mothers die of post-delivery complications after giving birth to babies.

Speaking at a press conference held here on Saturday, he said 94 out of 1,000 children died within a span of five years, 78 babies in the first year of their birth, 54 during the first month and 30 in the first week of their birth because of lack of health-cum-diet unawareness, facilities and others. He said the national programme for family planning and primary health care in coordination with Unicef (United Nations Children’s Fund) would mark a health week from May 20 to 25 aimed at controlling untimely deaths of mothers and babies in future in Sindh, including Hyderabad.

The DHO said the week would be observed in those areas where lady health workers (LHWs) had already been serving.

He said LHWs would provide their services by paying home-to-home visits and during the week, mothers and babies would be vaccinated against diseases, provided medicines for abdominal diseases and apprised of health issues and diseases, including pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria and others.

He said mothers would be guided about sanitation, pure drinking water and other health-related awareness. He said that 1,141 LHWs would participate in the week-long drive and achieve a target set by the district health department as there were 5,472 children under two years, 10,944 under five and 3,101 pregnant women in the Hyderabad district.

He said that a monitoring plan was made to conduct all of these activities. He appealed to media persons and representatives of civil society organisations to spread awareness of the issues so that 100 per cent target could be achieved.—Staff Correspondent