Silchar: As many as 148 newborns died across Barak Valley in the past three months, exposing persistent gaps in maternal and neonatal healthcare, particularly in rural areas where delayed referrals, inadequate infrastructure and a shortage of specialised facilities continue to cost lives.Official figures show Cachar recorded the highest number of neonatal deaths at 74, followed by 49 in Sribhumi and 25 in Hailakandi during the three-month period.Health officials attributed the deaths mainly to birth asphyxia leading to respiratory distress, extremely low birth weight, severe neonatal infections and delays in transferring critically ill babies from remote areas to higher medical centres.Sribhumi joint director of health services Matindra Sutradhar said poor road connectivity and the lack of advanced neonatal care in peripheral health centres often delay life-saving treatment for newborns who need specialised intervention.While the health department cited medical complications as the primary cause of the fatalities, residents and healthcare activists said the fragile state of rural healthcare infrastructure has worsened the situation.In Sribhumi’s Ramkrishnanagar subdivision, residents alleged that both Dullavcherra Model Hospital and Ramkrishnanagar Block Primary Health Centre lack ultrasound facilities and caesarean section services, forcing women with high-risk pregnancies to travel to higher medical institutions.Expectant mothers are routinely referred to Sribhumi Civil Hospital, Hailakandi Civil Hospital or the Christian Mission Hospital. Residents said the long travel distances and poor road conditions often result in critical delays during obstetric emergencies, increasing risks for mothers and newborns.Public health experts said many neonatal deaths can be prevented through timely antenatal check-ups, early identification of high-risk pregnancies, improved prenatal care and the expansion of specialised newborn care facilities, including special newborn care units (SNCUs) and newborn stabilisation units (NBSUs), in rural hospitals.The proposed medical college at Ramkrishnanagar has raised hopes about improving healthcare access in the long term. Residents, however, said immediate intervention was needed to strengthen existing facilities by introducing caesarean section services, ultrasound diagnostics, specialist doctors and trained neonatal healthcare personnel at Dullavcherra Model Hospital and the Ramkrishnanagar BPHC.The latest mortality figures have renewed calls for the Assam govt to prioritise investment in rural maternal and child healthcare infrastructure to reduce preventable neonatal deaths across Barak Valley.
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