PALAKKAD: With Attappadi reporting death of one more tribal infant -- 5-month-old girl child of Chadayan and Vellarmathy -- on Monday the government has decided to utilise an additional Rs 2 crore allotted by the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) for Palakkad district, in the tribal region.
This was announced by Health Minister V S Sivakumar, PWD Minister M K Muneer and Minister for Scheduled Tribes Welfare P K Jayalakshmi, who were deputed by the Government to review the implementation of various schemes in Attappadi in the backdrop recurring infant deaths.
The NRHM had alloted a sum of Rs 18.60 cr for Palakkad in 2014 against a sum of Rs 20.65 cr sanctioned in 2013.
The deceased child had weighed only 920 grams in birth which showed that it could be a case of malnutrition. However, District Medical Officer K Venugopal said that the child had congenital defects by birth. The child was suffering from hydrocephalus, abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the cavities of the brain.
With this death, the number of infants who died this year in Attappadi has risen to 18. In the calendar year of 2013 the death toll of infants stood at 32.
The review meet decided to constitute a co-ordination committee comprising representatives of political parties and officials to periodically review the actions taken to address the issue of infant deaths in Attappadi. The meet also decided to revive the community kitchens, many of which were closed down by December 5, 2014.
Health Minister V S Sivakumar said that the centrally sponsored Janani Suraksha Yojana will be implemented in Attappadi.