In shocking revelation, Mumbai has seen a rise in maximum deaths caused within 24 hours of the birth of newborns, even though Maharashtra has recorded a slight drop in infant and child deaths between 2017-18 to 2018-19.
According to Indian Express, a reply to a RTI filed by activist Chetan Kothari shows that 1,768 children aged less than five had died in 2018-19 in Mumbai — a five per cent rise from 1,672 in 2017-18. In 2018-19, at least 449 children had died within 24 hours of delivery in the city, accounting for maximum deaths in neonates (newborns). In all, 814 had died within a month of birth, indicating the lack of intensive care support for neonates in the city.
Neonatologist Dr Bhupendra Awasthi told the Indian Express, “In a lot of cases, asphyxia or congenital malformation can lead to death within hours of birth. Deaths due to infection are highest within days of delivery. We are seeing more premature births now due to rise in IVF procedures that also increases risk.”
But infant deaths dropped marginally by 0.65 per cent from 15,314 deaths recorded in 2018-19 across Maharashtra. The state government which made effort in Palghar to improve maternal nutrition and care also saw number of deaths reduce by almost half.
