Cong Demands SIT Probe into Death of Infants in Gujarat Hospital

The Congress demanded Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s resignation over the incident.

The Congress on Monday asked the Gujarat government to publicly apologise for the death of infants at a civil hospital in Ahmedabad, and demanded a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the matter.

Eleven infants had died at the civil hospital in 36 hours since 27 October midnight, prompting the Gujarat government to order a probe into the circumstances and possible causes of the deaths. It had set up a committee to probe the matter, which in its report on Monday, cleared the hospital of blame, saying the newborns had died due to "low birth weight" and complications due to premature deliveries.

‘Proper Monitoring Could Have Saved Lives’

"The patients were given proper, intense and timely treatment," the report stated.

In his address to the media on Monday, senior Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil claimed that the ‘clean chit’ given by a government panel to the tainted civil hospital was simply an "eyewash". He added:

An inspection report released in December 2013 had said there was no CCTV camera at the neonatal ward, even when it was essential to monitor newborns for 24 hours. I visited the ward on Monday, and found that no camera was installed at even one place. We demand that the government accepts its mistakes, and seek apology from the people rather than patting its back by giving itself a clean chit.

Shaktisinh Gohil, Congress leader

Gohil said proper monitoring of the infant’s health could have saved their lives.

Congress Seeks CM’s Resignation

The Congress demanded Rupani’s resignation over the incident, and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah should be held accountable for infant deaths across the country.

The party also demanded a court-monitored probe into the deaths of babies at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. Congress leader Jaiveer Shergill criticised Modi for "not even making a mention" of the incident in his monthly radio address 'Mann-ki-Baat', and accused him of being "insensitive" to the pain of the families of the deceased.

The government said, in a release, that five babies that were brought to the civil hospital from distant places suffered from "extremely low birth weight" complications, while some suffered from life-threatening diseases and were in a critical condition.

"Of the nine deaths in the 24 hours, five babies were referred from distant places – Lunawada, Surendranagar, Mansa, Viramgam, Himmatnagar – and were having severe life threatening conditions such as extremely low birth weight (around 1.1 kg), hyaline membrane disease, early onset septicaemia and disseminated intra-vascular coagulation," the release read.

Besides, four babies born at the civil hospital “died due to lethal complications such as severe birth asphyxia and meconium aspiration,” it said.

Hospital Superintendent MM Prabhakar said two more babies have died since then, taking the toll to 11 since Friday midnight. "While a newborn died of cancer, another succumbed to complications arising out of extremely low birth weight," he said.

Also Read: 69 Children Die at Gorakhpur’s BRD Medical College in 4 Days

With this, 20 babies have died in the past three days at the facility, Prabhakar said.

A three-member committee under RK Dixit, Deputy Director of Medical Education, will inquire into the circumstances and causes of death, the release said.

Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Jayanti Ravi, said the condition of some of the babies had already deteriorated and they had to be referred to the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad from distant places as doctors at other hospitals were likely to be on Diwali vacation.

Being the main hospital in the state, all complicated cases are referred here. It is natural that many babies are not able to survive despite (our) efforts.

Jayanti Ravi, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department

Also Read: How Gorakhpur Deaths Disillusioned Yogi Adityanath’s Constituency

(With inputs from PTI, IANS)

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