Another two children died of malnutrition at a hospital in Sindh’s famine-hit Tharparkar district where more than 431 babies have died over the past eight months.
The desert region of Tharparkar is one of Pakistan’s poorest districts, spreads over nearly 20,000 square kilometers and is home to some 1.3 million people.
According to hospital sources, two children died in government-run Mithi civil hospital today. The babies were brought to the hospital with anemia.
The drought-triggered famine continues to starve Tharparkar, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes in search of medical facilities and employment in nearly by Umarkot, Mirpurkhas and other cities.
Dozens of children have died of malnutrition and other causes in Tharparkar, prompting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to travel to the famine-hit area to allocate $10 million in emergency aid.
The federal and provincial governments have separately released millions of rupees for relief to famine stricken people; however, official reports revealed gross negligence on the part of government functionaries.
