There are 3,778 children in the entire state, who have died in the first 24 hours, after their birth, during the period under review.
Child mortality in the state has reached unprecedented levels. In the past 11 months, between April 2017 and February 2018, Maharashtra has witnessed deaths of 13,541 children. Health Minister Dr Deepak Savant told the state assembly that these deaths include 483 children in Mumbai alone, who died in the first 24 hours of their birth. There are 3,778 children in the entire state, who have died in the first 24 hours, after their birth, during the period under review.
Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Prithviraj Chavan, Yogesh Sagar, among others, had raised the issue through starred question.
In his written reply, Dr Savant said that it was true that 13,541 children have died in the past 11 months, and 22 per cent children died because of being underweight. Seven per cent of these children died of pneumonia and infections, 7 per cent died of respiratory diseases and 10 per cent due to diseases related to respiratory diseases.
Dr Savant admitted that 65 per cent deaths were reported in the first 28 days after child birth. He informed that another 21 per cent deaths were between the age group of 28 days to one year, and 14 per cent were between the age group of one year to five years. Dr Savant informed the state assembly about the various government measures in place.
Meanwhile, activists have linked the unusual number to loopholes in implementation of government schemes.
"In Adivasi districts, the government has initiated Navsanjeevani programme, which include programmes to increase jobs, women and child welfare and nutrition. We have discovered that there is a big discrepancy between the district health department figures of children covered under the schemes and the on-ground figures. We had informed the government about it and requested them to recheck the numbers in our presence. The number increased by 60-70 per cent. Very little MNREGS work is available in villages. Hence, many pregnant women migrate to cities, thereby, getting losing out on government schemes," said Pratibha Shinde, General Secretary of Loksangharsh Morcha, an NGO that works in the tribal district of Nandurbar.
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 "Child Mortality")
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