Due to lack of institutional support and lack of medical services following the COVID-19 pandemic, at least 61 pregnant women and 877 newborn children have died in Meghalaya from April to July.
According to a senior Meghalaya health department official, the expecting mothers and babies died due to diseases other than COVID-19.
Moreover, pregnant women and newborns died as every hospital and healthcare facility in the state had been busy in tackling COVID-19 patients.
“Since the pregnant women and the newborns could not be admitted to the hospitals and other healthcare centres, they did not receive the required and adequate medical attention, which led them to their untimely demise,” sources close to the health department informed.
It may be mentioned here that the Meghalaya health department had earlier asked all the government and private hospitals and health centres to not refuse admission to patients including pregnant women even if they come from the notified COVID-19 containment zones.
Meghalaya so far has reported 2,362 COVID-19 cases with 1,091 patients recovering from the infection.
A total of 10 people have died so far and currently, 1,261 people are being treated in various hospitals and COVID care centres.