Tragedy Strikes up Again - Horrific Farrukhabad Incident
Tragedy strikes UP again - Horrific Farrukhabad Incident Fact Finding Exercise in Villages of Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh HRLN Representatives: Aman Khan, Advocate; and Shaoni Mukherjee, Researcher Human Rights Law Network Reproductive Rights Initiative, 576, Masjid Road, Jangpura New Delhi, India 110014 1 After the shocking Gorakhpur tragedy that occurred in August 2017, news emerged of a similar incident in Farrukhabad, another district in Uttar Pradesh. In Gorakhpur, more than 100 children lost their lives due to medical negligence. Now, in Farrukhabad, newspapers are again filled with accounts of 49 deaths that occurred in Farrukhabad Govt. Hospital (Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital) between July 21 and August 20, 2017.1 Uttar Pradesh has the second highest maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in India, at 258 deaths per 100,000 live births2, as well as the highest infant mortality rate (IMR) of 64 deaths3 per 1000 Live births, and 78 deaths per 1000 live births when it comes to children under 5. Farrukhabad itself has a staggering IMR of 78, and under 5 Mortality Rate of 54 per 1000 live births. Farrukhabad, a rural district situated in Northern Uttar Pradesh has many children dying due to diarrhea, anemia, and respiratory infections – making it necessary to shed light on the hazardous environmental conditions in this district. A mere 6.9% of children in Farrukhabad receive an adequate nutritional diet. 38.7% of children are diagnosed with anemia, 31.4% are underweight, and a staggering 49.10% have stunted growth4. The figures reflect the dire situation of this district, especially regarding the health of infants. From August 2017, Gorakhpur, another district in the state of Uttar Pradesh witnessed the loss of more than 100 children in the span of a week due to medical negligence relating to the treatment of a potentially fatal disease, Acute Encephalitis, a lack of oxygen supply needed for treatment.
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