MUMBAI, Nov. 26 -- The Maharashtra government on Tuesday informed the Bombay High Court that the secretaries of the public health, tribal development, and women and child development departments will visit Melghat on December 5 to assess the deteriorating health infrastructure in the tribal-dominated region. A division bench of justices Revati Mohite Dere and Sandesh Patil had on Monday directed top state officials to visit the region within two weeks. The direction came after the court sharply criticised the Maharashtra and Union governments earlier this month for their "extremely casual" approach to persistent infant and maternal deaths due to malnutrition and inadequate healthcare facilities in Melghat, in Amravati district. The petitioners had previously informed the court that 65 infants-from newborn to six months old-died due to malnutrition in Melghat between June and November, and over 220 children remain in the Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) category, out of which 50% may die if no help is provided. According to data placed before the Maharashtra Assembly, 10,000 children across the state were identified as malnourished till November 2024, including 1,290 SAM cases in Dharni and 788 in Chikhaldara talukas, both located in the difficult-to-access stretches of Melghat. On Tuesday, Nipun Vinayak, additional chief secretary of the public health department, informed the court that officials from the three departments will visit Melghat on December 5, and petitioners will be allowed to accompany them. "Additionally, we expect a senior officer not below the rank of deputy secretary of PWD (public works department), deputy secretary of the water and sanitation department, Melghat's project officer, Amravati's chief executive officer, and the deputy conservator of forests to accompany us and look into the issues at the earliest," he said. A meeting will be held after the visit, and the review report will be submitted before the court on December 18, he added. Senior advocate Jugalkishor Gilda, representing one of the petitioners, flagged a few concerns to be addressed during the visit. He highlighted the importance of appointing medical professionals, such as paediatricians and gynaecologists, in the region to help check the mortality rate. He added that the budgetary sanction for the medical infrastructure should be increased, and the supply of quality food and electricity should be ensured. Another petitioner pointed to the severe staff shortages in Amravati district. "There are over 38 vacant posts for medical officers in Dharni. Appointing paediatricians is essential, as institutional deaths in sub-district hospitals are rising," the petitioner said, adding that 35 children have died and 22 stillborn babies have been delivered in the region in recent months. The petitioner further said that the sub-district hospitals in Dharni are overloaded, as they cater to 150,000 people but have only 15 beds....