Keonjhar/Bhubaneswar: Health and Family Welfare Minister NK Das Sunday sought a report from the Keonjhar district administration on the death of 13 children in 18 days due to alleged negligence at the pediatrics ward of a state-run hospital in the mineral-rich district. The minister’s action came after a large number of people at the Keonjhar district headquarters hospital staged an agitation demanding action against doctors whose alleged negligence led to the death of children. “This is an unfortunate incident. We must ascertain cause of the children’s death. I have asked the Keonjhar district authorities to find out the reason behind the incident,” the minister told reporters.
Tension prevailed at the Keonjhar district headquarters hospital Sunday following the death of six newborns in 24 hours. Thirteen newborns have died in the last 18 days at the hospital’s special newborn care unit (SNCU), the district health department said. Irate people gheraoed the doctors and sought an explanation on the deaths. They relented after Town police intervened and provided security to the doctors. District Collector Ashish Thakare visited the hospital and directed a probe into the incident.
The district health department, however, said that four newborns died in the last 24 hours. It is alleged that doctors in the hospital here often do not attend to patients and spend their time in private clinics and hospitals. They even refer the patients to private hospitals with the help of middlemen. Dipesh Nayak alleged that his son died due to negligence by the doctor and nurses. A relative of another deceased child also blamed the absence of doctors and the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities for the tragic incident. Priyanka Muduli said that when her nephew was admitted to the hospital in night doctors were not present, and they were not allowed to enter the hall in which their child was admitted. “The doctor came around 12 in midnight and told us that the child is no more,” she said. ADMO Dr Kishore Charan Prusty ruled out the death of six babies in 24 hours and said four babies died during the last 24 hours. He further said that 13 babies have died in the last 18 days.
