Maharashtra: Infant malnutrition deaths rock village in Palghar

Durva with her parents Kalpesh and Savita Nimbare. Pics/Hanif Patel

Two infants from the village of Savarde in Palghar district - which is plagued by crumbling health infrastructure and lack of access to nutritious food - died of malnutrition within a gap of two weeks. One of the deceased, 11-month-old Durva Kalpesh Nimbare, died on December 30, 2022, after being taken to three hospitals, while the other, Renuka Suraj Mukne who was barely four months old, succumbed on January 11.

Savarde is located 60 km from Mokhada taluka in Palghar district. An activist told mid-day that Durva's kin could not avail of an ambulance to cover the 30-km distance from their home to the primary healthcare centre in Khodala where she was rushed at the family's expense. The deaths have forced local politicians to make a beeline to Savarde over the past few days.

The deputy sarpanch of the village, Hanumant Padir, alleged that government officials are trying to bury the matter. "They are asking me not to speak to the media as the matter defames the village. But I cannot remain silent when two tribal children died of malnutrition as no nutritious food is being distributed by anganwadi (kindergarten) workers among new mothers and their babies in the village," Padir told mid-day.

Renuka Mukne's relatives

"Every year, at least a dozen children die of malnutrition in this village," he added. Medical practitioners claimed that the babies succumbed to severe pneumonia and septicemia or blood poisoning caused by bacteria. An official in-charge of a trust that provides free medical care to malnourished children and their mothers in the neighbouring Jawhar taluka, Sita Ghatal, visited Savarde and learnt that the girls were underweight. "They fell under the severe acute malnutrition (SAM) category," she said.

Durva was staying with her grandmother when she fell sick in mid-December. "Her parents, Kalpesh and Savita, earn their livelihood at a brick kiln factory in Bhiwandi. Her grandmother rushed her to Khodala Primary Health Centre, around 30 km away from Savarde. But doctors there referred her to Mokhada Rural Hospital on the same day. After her condition started to further deteriorate, Durva was referred to Cottage Hospital in Jawhar and after being admitted there for a few days, she passed away on December 30," Ghatal told mid-day.

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Meanwhile, Padir alleged, "Though Durva's actual weight was around 4.5 kg when she died, anganwadi workers had wrongly mentioned it as 9.2 kg." "As per the rules, anganwadi workers have to maintain a register to mention the details of every newborn and new mother in the area, so that the nutritious food sanctioned to them under various government-run schemes can be made available to them. But when Durva was being taken to hospitals, the anganwadi workers had underreported her weight to pocket the rations. I have complained to the competent authority about this, seeking immediate action," Padir said.

According to Ghatal, though Savarde is accessible via road, children there often suffer from dehydration and malnutrition. Unlike Durva, Renuka died in Paigaon in Bhiwandi taluka. "Renuka hailed from Savarde but since her parents work at a brick kiln in Bhiwandi, she was there. The baby weighed only 1.5 kg. She also died of malnutrition," Ghatal said.

"In March last year, Renuka's elder sister, who was only one year old, died of malnutrition. Her three-year-old paternal aunt, too, passed away due to the same reason. So, this is the third death in the past year and all the deceased succumbed to malnutrition," Ghatal said.

The medical superintendent of Cottage Hospital, Dr Ramdas Marad, said, "Durva was brought to our hospital on December 25 and she weighed 6.9 kg. Her health condition deteriorated after five days and she died of severe pneumonia and septicemia." "At present, there are two children in our hospital and they are suffering from malnutrition," Dr Marad told mid-day.

Meanwhile, Vivek Pandit, chairman, Tribal Development Review Committee, Maharashtra, said, "The medical cause of death of these children is severe pneumonia but the root cause of their death is malnutrition." "The question arises: why did the deceased lack resistance to fight pneumonia? The answer: there was no proper nourishment," Pandit told mid-day.