Tharparkar’s newborn crisis raises alarms — What hospital records reveal

Hospital records from Mithi Civil Hospital have raised fresh concerns about newborn health in Tharparkar, with hundreds of babies reportedly dying in the facility’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) during the first eight months of 2026.

Hospital records from Mithi Civil Hospital have raised fresh concerns about newborn health in Tharparkar, with hundreds of babies reportedly dying in the facility’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) during the first eight months of 2026.

According to the hospital’s monthly NICU records, 2,273 newborns were admitted for treatment between January and August. Of these, 480 babies died representing nearly 21% of total admissions.

The highest number of newborn deaths was recorded in May, when 75 babies died. The figures show that 70 newborns died in January, followed by 39 in February, 54 in March, 47 in April, 65 in June, 69 in July and 61 in August.

The data also showed that 1,387 newborns were discharged after recovering, representing a recovery rate of around 61% during the eight-month period.

Meanwhile, 106 newborns were referred to other hospitals for further treatment, while 126 were discharged against medical advice.

NICU admissions reached their highest level in May when 365 newborns were brought to the facility. Admissions stayed high in the following months with 348 in July and 309 in August.

According to sources, vulnerability of newborns in Tharparkar is due to a number of interlinked factors including maternal and child malnutrition, infectious diseases, premature births and low birth weight. Early marriages were also cited as a contributing factor.

The figures from Mithi Civil Hospital may not represent the full scale of newborn mortality across Tharparkar. Sources said deaths were also reported at other healthcare facilities across the district including taluka hospitals and rural health centres.

However, comprehensive figures from these facilities have not been made public making it difficult to determine the overall extent of neonatal mortality in the district.

Mithi Civil Hospital Surgeon Dr Shahid Jhanjhi did not respond to questions regarding the reasons behind the reported death toll.

Tharparkar District Health Officer Dr Lekhraj Sarangani also declined to provide details, saying his office did not collect newborn mortality data and that hospitals had been handed over to the Sindh Peoples Primary Healthcare Initiative.

However, Mithi Civil Hospital, five taluka hospitals and 95 medical dispensaries remain under the administrative control of the District Health Officer.

The hospital figures have therefore raised wider questions about newborn healthcare, maternal nutrition and access to specialised medical treatment in Tharparkar.