DCW seeks report from hospital of steps taken to prevent deaths

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 24

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has initiated an inquiry into the recent deaths of 14 children from diphtheria in a span of 12 days allegedly at a municipal hospital in northwest Delhi.

Issuing a notice to the Maharshi Valmiki Infectious Diseases Hospital, DCW has asked the hospital to provide details of the urgent steps taken by it to ensure no more deaths occur due to the disease and steps to streamline referrals from it to other government hospitals.

It has been reported that the deaths took place due to unavailability of diphtheria vaccine to prevent the disease at a time when the death toll from diphtheria at Maharshi Valmiki Infectious Diseases Hospital has climbed to 18. The north municipal mayor has also constituted a panel to look into the deaths.

“It has been reported that children died because of unavailability of anti-diphtheria vaccine despite the hospital being a specialist centre for the disease and the patients are being forced to purchase injections from outside. Further, the reports in a section of media are revealing shocking details of lack of staff, operation theatres and ICU,” said DCW chief Swati Maliwal in her notice.

Also, the hospital is said to have been unable to conduct even a simple process like tracheotomy due to which allegedly two children died.

The DCW chairperson asked the hospital to give reasons for the recent deaths at the hospital and furnish a report within September 29 about the number of patients of diphtheria who died due to the diphtheria in the hospital per year since 2013.

The panel has asked details about procurement of vaccine of diphtheria disease, including date of purchase and no. of vaccines purchased, on each occasion per year since 2013, number of sanctioned posts as well as actual presence of doctors, nurses and other medical staff specifically assigned to look after the cases of diphtheria disease shift-wise per year since 2013 till date.