The increasing rate of death of infants and post-natal mothers in the recent years in Kolar district is causing concern among authorities.
Anaemia among pregnant women has been attributed as the major reason for this. As many as 512 infants and 36 women in their post-natal period died in the last two years in the district.
The number of infant deaths was 259 and 253 in 2011-12 and 2012-13, respectively, the number of women deaths in the post-natal stage was 16 and 20 in 2011-12 and 2012-13, respectively. Most of the deaths occurred during second pregnancy.
“This is happening despite a number of schemes formulated by the government to bring down mortality rate of infants and women in the post-natal period under the National Rural Health Mission,” District Family Planning Officer N. Rajkumar said.
The failure to ensure sufficient gap between two pregnancies was causing anaemia among women, leading to the death of both pregnant women and infants, Dr. Rajkumar said. Creating awareness among couples on this issue is important if the mortality rate had to be brought down, he said.
At a workshop here recently on new inventions in family planning measures, the alleged apathy of doctors in creating awareness about new measures came in for criticism.
Post-partum intrauterine contraceptive device (PPIUCD) for women immediately after they give birth was launched three months ago in the district. “However, most of the doctors at the primary health centres in the district are not evincing interest in it. Hence, there was no progress,” Dr. Rajkumar lamented at the workshop.
Sudha, Head of Gynaecology Department, Medical College, Hassan, expressed displeasure over the lack of interest among doctors on the issue.
