According to recent reports submitted by the district administration of Paschim Medinipur and Bankura to the West Bengal Government, 2,700 infant deaths occurred in the two districts during the year 2014-15.
While in Bankura 1,093 infant deaths had taken place; in Paschim Medinipur, the number was 1,607.
The reports were submitted to the State Government in early May.
Such state of affairs in the health services of the two districts was revealed despite repeated claims of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government of ushering in development in the Jangalmahal area, a significant part of which falls under Pachim Medinipur and Bankura.
In Bankura district among the 1,093 infant deaths, 589 occurred in the Bankura municipality area.
Among the four blocks of Ranibandh, Raipur, Sarenga and Simlapal which are a part of the Jangalmahal area, Sarenga registered the highest number of infant deaths.
In Sarenga, 43 infants died during the financial year, followed by Simlapal (24), Raipur (20) and Ranibandh (13) . Bankura district consists of 25 blocks.
Maternal deaths
As for maternal deaths while in 2013-14, there were 29 deaths in the district, in 2014-15 the number went up to 47. In Paschim Medinipur district, out of the total infant deaths of 1607, 551 occurred in the 11 blocks which are part of the Jangalmahal area.
In the non-Jangalmahal area of the district, 1,056 child deaths occurred. The district recorded a total of 72 maternal deaths out of which 30 occurred in the Jangalmahal area and 42 took place in the non-Jangalmahal area. There are 29 blocks in the district.
Women and Child Development Minister Shashi Panja said that the matter of infant deaths was not under her jurisdiction. “I do not think I should comment on the matter,” she told The Hindu .
- While in Bankura 1,093 infants died, in Paschim Medinipur the number was 1,607
Reports by district administrations, submitted in May, give details of the deaths
