14 more infants die in Kota, toll 91

Kota, December 30

Fourteen more infants have died at JK Lon Hospital here in the last five days, taking the number of deaths to 91 this month, even as apex child rights body NCPCR said it found the hospital to be in the “worst condition” with broken doors and windows, shortage of staff and pigs roaming in its campus.

“The 14 infants, including six newborns, died in the period between December 25 and December 29 in NICU and PICU units of the hospital,” the newly appointed superintendent of the hospital, Suresh Dulara, said on Monday.

Earlier, 77 infants had died till December 24 including 10 within 48 hours on December 23-24, he said.

On the cause of deaths, Amrit Lal Bairwa, Head of Department of Pediatrics, said they were analysing the reasons behind the 77 deaths till December 25.

Out of the 14 infants who died later, four succumbed to severe pneumonia, one to Meningoencephalitis, four to Congenital pneumonia, three to pneumatic septicemia, and one to respiratory disorder, he said.

A team from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) team visited the hospital, where 940 children have died this year, after which its chairperson Priyank Kanoongo issued a show cause notice to Vaibhav Galtiya, Secretary of Medical Education Department in the Rajasthan Government, and sought an action taken report from him on its findings.

“It is evident that there was no glass in windows panes, gates were broken and as a result the admitted children were suffering with extreme weather condition,” Kanoongo said.

He also said the general upkeep and maintenance of the hospital was in the “worst condition”.

“Pigs were found roaming inside the campus of the hospital,” he said in the notice.

Kanoongo also said there was acute shortage of staff and sought the action taken report within three working days.

Earlier, Galariya said a three-member team comprising Dr Amarjeet Mehta, Dr Rambabu Sharma and Dr Sunil Bhatnagar that is probing the infant deaths will submit its report in two days following which action would be taken.

The BJP, which has targeted the Congress government in Rajasthan over the child deaths, said it had formed a committee comprising four MPs to look into the matter.

The panel comprising Lok Sabha MPs Jaskaur Meena, Locket Chatterjee and Bharati Pawar, and Rajya Sabha MP Kanta Kardam had been asked to submit its report within three days to the party’s working president JP Nadda.

Meanwhile, state BJP leaders and former health ministers Rajendra Singh Rathore and Kalicharan Saraf visited the hospital on Monday and interacted with the staff.

The two said they would send a report to the central government detailing the reasons behind the child deaths and recommendations to check such incidents in future and improve facilities at the hospital. — PTI