Senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik on Wednesday alleged that increasing numbers of infants are dying due to insensitiveness on the part of the State Government.
In a statement, he lamented that while a few photographs of the body of a three-year-old dead baby lying on Turkey sea beach had shaken the world, it is disappointing that pictures of dead infants carried by their mothers don’t move the State Government, which is yet to take measures to check deaths.
He urged upon all political parties and leaders to raise such an important issue against the Government if they really want to serve people.
He said babies are getting infection at the time of institutional deliveries at PHCs and CHCs and being referred to Sishu Bhavan in critical conditions.
“The Government has a poor system of monitoring pregnant mothers. If pregnant mothers are given financial support and proper diet, problems such as anemia and under-weight can be tackled. It is a matter of deep regret that the Chief Minister has not visited the hospital yet and has left everything to be handled by a few insensitive bureaucrats who are providing facile arguments blaming families for preventing infant deaths.” The former PCC president said.
He said Chief Minister Naven Patnaik should answer to the people for Government’s failure to check infant deaths as he has done little in the last 17 years in this respect.