Visakhapatnam: Against the backdrop of more than three million premature births annually in India, a private hospital on Sunday organized a walkathon to mark the World Day of Prematurity in 2024. The event, which drew attention to the critical issue of premature births, was flagged off by the minister Civil Union. Aviation, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu.

The walkathon, which started at the Kalimatha temple near the RK beach and ended at the YMCA, saw the participation of prominent political leaders and health professionals. Prominent participants include Visakhapatnam MLA Bharat Mathukumilli, Velagapudi MLAs Ramakrishna Babu, Ganta Srinivasa Rao and Ch. Vamsi Krishna Srinivas along with Police Commissioner Sankhabrata Bagchi.

According to the World Health Organization, preterm birth, defined as births before 37 weeks of pregnancy, remains the leading cause of death in children under five globally. Addressing this concern, Ch. Visakhapatnam South MP Vamsi Krishna Srinivas pointed out that “premature 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.