MITHl: Seven more children died due to complications caused by malnutrition at the Mithi civil hospital during past three days, raising the death toll since Jan 1 this year to 335, said health officials. But according to unofficial figures, the toll has risen to 470 in eight months.

The officials at DHO office said on Saturday that more that 80,000 kids suffering from various diseases were brought to six facilities of the district and of them 335 died and 583 were referred to Karachi and Hyderabad hospitals for further treatment.

`We don`t have any record on the ailing children referred to the teaching hospitals and cannot confirm whether they survived or died,` admitted DHO Dr Chandar Lal.

Meanwhile, 589 health workers, including nurses, dispensers, vaccinators, who have not received salary for the past 14 months, has stopped work in protest, virtually shutting down the health units in remote villages.

The chief executive officer of the Health and Nutrition Development Society (Hands), Dr Tanweer Ahmed, has once again raised the demand that healthcare facilities in Thar should be handed over to his organisation or the Indus Hospital on the pattern of Badin civil hospital, which had been handed over to Indus Hospital.

Dr Shaikh observed that malnutrition was a serious problem, which could only be resolved through sincere efforts of the government and active role of NGOs working in the region. Recent showers would bring some relief to the drought-hit Tharis, he added.