Cuttack: Death continues to haunt Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Post Graduate Institute of Paediatric popularly known as Sishu Bhawan that came under fire in August 2015 after dozens of children had died within a month.
According to the data obtained through an RTI query, the state’s premier paediatric hospital witnessed as many as 2,062 deaths of children in a year between April 2017 and March 2018. The shocking figure suggested that the death rate of babies remained unchanged at the hospital throughout the year.
The data given by the Sishu Bhawan authorities stated that 170 children died on an average at the hospital in a month that means nearly six babies died per day. Even as the death of children continued unabated, financial assistance worth Rs 3 crore allocated to Sishu Bhawan could not be used and was returned to the government, the RTI query revealed. The shocking data revealed- 173 died in April 2017, 188 in May, 137 in June, 181 in July, 209 in August, 191 in September, 185 in October, 162 in November and 175 in December. Similarly, the hospital witnessed 141 deaths each in January and February and 179 in March this year.
It is alleged that due to administrative failure and lack of interest of the Sishu Bhawan authorities the state government is bearing the brunt.
When contacted, Sishu Bhawan superintendent Saroj Satpathy came up with obscure answers. He said, “Sishu Bhawan is a referral institute. Critical patients ranging from different primary health centres to the district headquarters hospitals are being shifted to Sishu Bhawan as a last resort. While 92 per cent of the total patients admitted here get recovered, eight per cent die. It is not correct to say that more numbers of children are dying here.”
While dismissing the report regarding the unused funds Satpathy said, “There must be some mistake while giving the reply to the RTI query.”
“The state government never ignored Sishu Bhawan while sanctioning funds. However, due to the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities, many children are dying due to negligence in treatment. We have decided to meet Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to discuss the matter,” said Rajya Rogi Adhikar Manch president Amiya Bhusan Biswal and secretary Malay Ranjan Sarangi.
Notably, the premier paediatric institute hogged the headlines after deaths of 54 children between August 20 and 31 in 2015.