A total of nine newborns, aged between one and seven days, passed away within eight hours at the JK Lon Hospital in Rajasthan's Kota on Thursday, 10 December.
The district collector rushed to the hospital after getting the information about the deaths and ordered for deploying additional doctors and nursing staff.
HOW DID THE BABIES DIE?
The medical superintendent of the hospital, SC Dulara, said in his report that nine newborns who came to the hospital for treatment died on Thursday. Of these, three children were brought dead to the hospital and their families were immediately informed in this regard.
Additionally, three children suffered from congenital malformations and passed away. The remaining three children died of COT (sudden infant death). According to the paediatricians, COT deaths include dying due to suffocation or other reasons which include error while feeding the kid.
WHAT ACTION DID THE GOVT TAKE?
After state Health Minister Raghu Sharma ordered for a detailed report, the health ministry constituted a committee to investigate into the matter.
The four-member committee will present its report within three working days.
The committee includes Medical Education Commissioner Shivangi Swarnkar; Director, RCH Dr Lakshman Singh Ola; Additional Principal and Senior Professor, Paediatrics Department, Dr Amarjeet Mehta; and Additional Principal and Senior Professor, Paediatrics (Medicine), SMS Medical College, Dr Rambabu Sharma.
Sharma said that the panel will immediately visit Kota to investigate every case of infant death and also look into overall arrangements at JK Lon Hospital, like requirement and availability of medical staff, availability of medical equipment and medicines etc and prepare its report.
Sharma gave strict instructions to the hospital administration to ensure proper care of newborns. He said that strict action will be taken for negligence in treatment.
Even at the end of last year, over 100 children had died in 35 days in the same hospital.
(With inputs from IANS.)
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