Mumbai, Jan 19 The Maharashtra government on Monday got an earful from Bombay High Court for doing "too little" to tackle deaths of infants and pregnant women due to malnutrition in the state's tribal belt.
Hearing a bunch of petitions highlighting the high numbers of deaths of children, pregnant women and lactating mothers in the tribal Melghat region, a bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Abhay Mantri said the government should have the will and desire to tackle the issue.
The court expressed shock after it was informed that there have been over 115 deaths of infants, pregnant women and also lactating mothers due to malnutrition.
The government in its affidavit said not all deaths are due to malnutrition and that there are several other reasons behind the same.
Most women in these areas are married as young as 13 or 14 years old and then they get pregnant immediately, and sometimes delivery happens prematurely, leading to medical complications, additional government pleader P B Samant said.
The court urged the government to ascertain the root cause and then take measures to effectively deal with the same.
"Problems are many. The government must have the will and desire to overcome those problems," the HC remarked.
The government will have to introduce special measures and provide basic medical facilities and amenities to those needing it the most, the court added.
"Too little is being done. The government has to take a zero tolerance approach to ensure such deaths do not occur on account of common reasons as is being seen in the last two or three decades," the HC said.
The court, while posting the matter for further hearing on February 27, directed the government to prepare a road map on how it plans to tackle the issue.
It also urged the government to spread awareness among the people in those regions.
The court suggested the government take steps to strengthen Primary Health Centres and to ensure that, along with freshly graduated doctors, experienced gynaecologists and paediatricians are also available.
