Bengaluru: Believe it or not, as many as 14 newborns die in government hospitals in Karnataka everyday over the last one year.
This piece of information comes straight from Minister for Health U T Khader himself and not from the opposition!
However, Khader claimed that the infant mortality rate had come down drastically from 41 per cent in 2008-09 to 28 per cent at present.
Khader informed that last year, 5,109 infants and 518 new mothers have died in the hospitals run by the state government.
With 2,387 infant deaths (about 45 per cent), the backward Hyderabad-Karnataka region has recorded the highest number of infant deaths. While Raichur has seen 521 infant deaths, Kalaburagi saw 499, Ballari 478, Kopal 293, Yadgir 229 and Bidar 23. Outside Hyderabad-Karnataka region, Vijayapura has recorded 344 infant deaths and Belagavi 360.
In southern Karnataka, Mysuru, home district of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, tops the list with 246 infant deaths followed by Chitradurga (243), Shivamogga (225) and Hassan (199). With four deaths, Chikkamagaluru district has registered least number of infant deaths. Other districts which recorded less number of infant deaths include Bengaluru Urban (21), Ramanagaram (23), Madikeri (34), Bengaluru Rural (46) and Mandya (75).
He was replying to a question from BJP MLA K G Bopaiah in the Assembly on Thursday.
Even as questions are being raised at the standard of pre/post natal care available in these hospitals, the reasons mainly causing these deaths are premature deliveries, low birth weight, lung infections, birth asphyxia and diarrhoea. Acute bleeding after delivery, diabetes, high blood pressure, risky termination of pregnancy, sudden complications during delivery are causing deaths of new mothers.
As far as deaths of new mothers are concerned, Belagavi tops the list with 79 deaths followed by districts of Hyderabad-Karnataka.
