Malnourished newborns up by 50 per cent

Stateinvested Rs 250 cr to improve infant mortality rate, yet number of low-weightkids surged from 9,170 in 2012 to 13,456

At a time when the state government is struggling to curb high infant mortality rate, the number of low birth weight babies are on the rise in Ahmedabad district.

Going by the statistics provided by state health department, the number of low birth-weight babies rose by almost 50 per cent from 9,170 in 2012 to 13,456 in 2014.

Lack of proper neo-natal care is the main reason for low birth-weight in babies, believe experts. Dr Kamini Patel, fertility expert at Vani Hospital said that many women fail to take medicine that can improve the health of the newborn.

“There are many prejudices attached to it. Women avoid taking fol ic acid thinking that their child will get dark complexion. Iron deficiency is one of the main causes for lower birth weight and can also lead to death,“ Dr Patel said. Gujarat registers one of the high est infant mortality rates in India with 38 child deaths per 1,000 live births.In such a condition increasing number of low birth-weight babies can further deteriorate the condition, say doctors. Dr Chetan Trivedi, president of Association of Pediatrics, Ahmedabad said that early marriages also contribute to it.

According to Dr Trivedi, “Though it is illegal to marry before the age of 21, there are women who marry before they turn 16.

“These women are not psychically capable of carrying a baby, which not only hampers the health of the baby but also the mother.“

To improve the condition of IMR, the state government has introduced schemes like Mamta Yojana, Dudh Sanjeevani Yojana, Mata Yashoda Gaurav Nidhi. But it has still failed to curb the number of underweight children. In the state's budget of 2015, Rs 250 crore was allocated for woman and child development spread over 132 new schemes.

A child when born is weighed to record its health condition which is then submitted to the health department. A newborn is considered normal only if it weighs above 2.5 kg.Children below 2 kg are hospitalised for further treatment whereas children above 2 kg are generally treated at home.

Career women opting for late marriages have also been found to give birth to under-weight children.Women between the age group of 25 and 30 years are found to be suitable for a healthy pregnancy. This starts declining with increasing age.

“Professional women work under too much stress which increases their blood pressure and affects their health. In some cases, infections in uterus also lead to low birth-weight babies. So, more the age of the mother, more the risk of having an underweight baby,“ said Smita Bajpai of Chetna, an NGO working for maternity health in Gujarat.