18 babies die at govt hospital in West Bengal, probe ordered

The West Bengal government on Thursday ordered an inquiry into the deaths of 18 infants in the past 48 hours in Kolkata’s state-run Dr BC Roy Child Hospital, triggering protests by locals and relatives who alleged negligence by doctors.

Mrinal Kanti Chatterjee, principal of the BC Roy Children’s Hospital told a new agency that 18 babies died in the past 48 hours. The health department also confirmed the deaths.

Most of the babies were either pre-mature or suffering from septicaemia or had low-birth weight problems, said D Pal, the superintendent of the hospital. “Most of these babies were brought in a moribund stage,” he said.

Aggrieved over the deaths, family members and locals barged into the main building of the hospital alleging medical negligence, police said. The agitators also blocked the road before the hospital before being chased away by policemen. “There were some disturbances in the hospital compound in the morning, but the situation is normal now,” Pal said.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee immediately set up an inquiry committee asking it to submits its report within 24 hours. She said it was regrettable that government hospitals badly lacked proper infrastructure and had turned into “dens of vested interests”.

“The inquiry committee, which has been formed with two doctors from outside, has been asked to ascertain if there was any lapse on our part and submit a report within 24 hours,” Banerjee said.
“Although the hospital authorities are insisting that the deaths occurred because of enteric diseases and that they were brought at the last stage, I have asked them to declare the name of the disease that afflicted them,” she said.

Banerjee, who also holds the health portfolio, said seven of the babies were referred by nursing homes and one came from a reputed heart care institute.

“Two babies had heart trouble. I have ordered a probe and asked the authorities to submit a report to me,” she addded.

Banerjee, who addressed the media thrice in the day, said in the evening, “My inquiry revealed that in first place the number was not correct, it was about 12 infants. My government would probe into the issues of negligence, if there was any, by the hospital doctors or staff and we are not going compromise on these issue.’’

In September 2002, there were protests in the same hospital when 14 children died of broncho-pneumonia and gastro-enteritis. Incidentally, Dr B C Roy Child Hospital has been a Spanish Wound for Left Front government too. The then state health minister Suryakanta Mishra’s comments that children die everywhere stirred up so much controversy that next day the then chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had to apologise on his behalf. “That wasn’t the way he should have said this,’’ the CM said.

Banerjee said the previous government did not do anything to improve the health infrastructure in remote districts and they all came to this hospital during crisis, putting the hospital under pressure.

Had the previous government taken proper care to develop rural health infrastructure, things would have been better, she said, adding, “till 2009 the infant mortality rate annually was about 40,000 kids.’’

She also hinted at a CPI(M) plot to embarrass her new government, saying. “let us not do politics over dying kids in a helpless situation.’’ —With inputs from agencies