Visakhapatnam: Against the backdrop of over three million premature births annually in India, a private hospital organized a walkathon on Sunday to mark World Prematurity Day 2024. The event, which drew attention to the critical issue of premature births, was flagged off by Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu.
The walkathon, which began at Kalimatha Temple near RK Beach and concluded at YMCA, saw participation from prominent political leaders and healthcare professionals. Notable attendees included Visakhapatnam MP Bharat Mathukumilli, MLAs Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu, Ganta Srinivasa Rao, and Ch. Vamsi Krishna Srinivas, along with Police Commissioner Sankhabrata Bagchi.
According to the World Health Organization, premature birth, defined as births before 37 weeks of pregnancy, remains the leading cause of death in children under five years globally. Addressing this concern, Ch. Vamsi Krishna Srinivas, MLA of Visakhapatnam South, emphasized that "preterm babies can live a normal life with proper intervention at the right time."
Dr. Bala Sri Latha Puli, Consultant Neonatologist at Children's Hospital, highlighted the challenges in treating extremely low birth weight babies who weigh less than 1 kg at birth.
