MITHI: Five children died, three of them in government hospitals, across Thar on Friday, raising the death toll to 167 since Jan 1 when the children’s deaths caused by an outbreak of waterborne diseases and malnutrition hit the headlines.

Twelve-month-old Natho Bheel, eight-month-old Hamida and seven-month-old Saghir died at the Mithi Civil Hospital, two-year-old Amia died at the Nagarparkar rural health centre and a newborn died in a village near Chelhar.

Dr Iqbal Ahmed Bhurgari, civil surgeon at the Mithi Civil Hospital, said that 47 children were admitted on Friday while 48 children had so far died at the hospital over the past 36 days.

Meanwhile, Mirpurkhas divisional commissioner Shafiq Ahmed Mahesar urged officials of the revenue and health departments and local NGOs at separate meetings to work for the betterment of health units to provide best healthcare facilities to poor desert people in remote villages.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2016