Girl babies less likely than boys to be given medical help

PARENTS were less likely to seek treatment for a sick baby girl than a boy in India, where more female infants were dying within the first month of being born, the UN said.

More babies died in India than in any other country, with 600 000 deaths recorded annually, or a quarter of the global total, according to a report released by UN children’s agency Unicef.

Girls outnumbered boys in this death toll, Unicef said, citing Indian government data. More girls died in the under-5 age group as well.

“Girls have the advantage of being biologically stronger, yet sadly they are extremely vulnerable socially,” said Yasmin Ali Haque, Unicef India representative.

India offers free care to newborns in more than 700 state-run hospitals that are dedicated to treating babies. But nearly 60% of the infants admitted to these facilities were boys, according to data collected last year by Unicef.

“This indicates the social barriers girls face. They have lesser value in the society,” said Gagan Gupta, a health specialist with Unicef.

Parents avoided taking their daughters for treatment because they did not want to leave work and lose wages, or pay expenses to travel to hospitals, Gupta said.

A preference for sons has also encouraged sex-selective abortions, which has led to skewed sex ratios. There were an estimated 63 million “missing” women in India.

The Indian government has a campaign to protect and educate girls, and has increased welfare funding for parents of female children. But campaigners said the situation had not changed.

“Even at malnutrition centres more boys are brought in than girls,” said Narendra Gupta, a public health expert in Rajasthan, which had recorded high rates of female infant mortality. – Thomson Reuters Foundation

GIRLS ARE BIOLOGICALLY STRONGER, YET THEY ARE MORE VULNERABLE SOCIALLY