Shocked by recurrent infant deaths in the Malda Sadar Hospital in West Bengal, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights today demanded immediate improvement of infrastructure in hospitals in Malda district.
The chairperson of NCPCR, apex child rights body in the country, Shantha Sinha told PTI from Delhi that the infrastructure of hospitals in the district needed to be upgraded within a set time-frame.
"We need better medical equipment and the number of doctors should be increased. Revamping the hospital infrastructure is a must now," Sinha said.
Coming to the Malda Sadar Hospital, Sinha said the NCPCR wants upgradation and proper upkeep of the children's ward, neonatal ward, maternity ward and the labour room, which were found "improperly maintained" during a recent visit by NCPCR to members.
Sinha said the news of regular infant deaths in West Bengal state is "shocking and alarming".
In the latest spell of crib deaths, at least 27 children have died due to bronchopneumonia, septicaemia and premature low-birth weight in the state-run Malda Sadar Hospital.
Last year, over 40 infants had died at Kolkata's B C Roy Paediatric Institute, Burdwan Medical College and the Malda hospital.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had recently said that 40,000 infants die every year in the state.
The NCPCR has already written to the state and district level authorities urging them to take immediate action.
"We need a comprehensive plan at the district level where anganwadis and public health centres (PHCs) are strengthened so that parents don't have to travel very far to get their children treated," Sinha said.
In a latest NCPCR study, it was found that there is complete absence of health facilities in the Gangetic char areas of Malda district.
"Moreover, the number of PHCs itself were few, located in the mainland in about a radius of 4-7 kms. The PHCs were marred by the absence of qualified medical practitioners and lack of medicine," the report said.
With few public health centres, a critically-sick child would die on account of the strenuous travel to the district hospital before getting any medical care, it said.
