Over 11,000 kids died in SMGS Hospital in 15 years

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 7

In a shocking revelation, the state’s oldest healthcare unit, Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh (SMGS) Hospital in Jammu, has witnessed the death of over 11,000 children, including infants, during the past 15 years.

This is despite the fact that the state government’s claims for registration of a significant 8 per cent decline in the Infant Mortality Rate (from 26 per 1,000 births to 24 per 1,000 births).

“The total number of children expired in SMGS Hospital during the last 15 years is 11,420. The number of children admitted to the hospital for the period (since 2003) is 2,84,890,” revealed the official statistics accessed by a Jammu-based activist Rohit Choudhary under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

The SMGS Hospital, a tertiary care unit, came into existence in 1940 when Maharaja Hari Singh, the last ruler of J&K who executed the Instrument of Accession in 1947, had laid its foundation. He christened it on his great-grandfather’s name as Maharaja Gulab Singh.

The statistics shows that there were 652 deaths of children, both in neonatal intensive care unit and post-neonatal, in paediatrics department of the hospital in 2003. The number of children admitted to the hospital at that time was 14,296 which had gone up to 25,971 in 2017. The last year’s death count was 544.

“The highest number of deaths was recorded in 2010 when a total of 883 children expired in the hospital. The year 2012 and 2013 too witnessed deaths on the higher side when 843 and 845 children died in the hospital, respectively,” the statistics stated.

The hospital authorities also divulged the five causes of high death rate of children in the hospital and said, “At least 2,097 children died of septicemia (serious bloodstream infection) while 3,379 died due to birth anoxia (brain completely deprived of oxygen). In all, 1,437 children died due to respiratory distress syndrome, 690 died of meningitis (inflammation of membranes surrounding brain and spinal cord) or meningocephalitis and 811 due to respiratory infections.”

Surprisingly, the department of paediatrics has just eight faculty members, 13 registrars and six medical officers to provide “quality” healthcare to thousands of patients reaching the hospital every year.

The hospital authorities also revealed that the number of general beds sanctioned was 550 and 200 beds for the paediatrics department, taking the total bed capacity ofthe hospital to 750.

The activist has described the details as “shocking” and questioned the state government’s healthcare policy. “The details have exposed the tall claims of the state government on improving healthcare despite the fact that we have spent millions of rupees to create infrastructure and manpower,” Choudhary said.

A senior doctor, preferring anonymity, cited “referral system” as the major cause of chaotic situation in the hospital and advocated fora comprehensive “referral policy” to bring down the morality rate.