On Tuesday, October 3rd, the tragic death toll at Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital in Nanded in Maharashtra surged to 35, marking an alarming increase from the previous day’s count of 24 casualties. Among these unfortunate victims, there were 16 infants and 19 adults. Among the infants who succumbed to this unfortunate fate were twin boys, who were born underweight on Sunday and passed away on Monday.
Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif paid a visit to the Nanded hospital on Tuesday. Following discussions with medical professionals and administrative personnel, he acknowledged that the deaths were indeed a result of a shortage of doctors. In response, he stated that the government is in the process of devising a plan to address this deficiency by hiring doctors on a contractual basis until the regular recruitment process can fill the vacancies.
According to a report by ANI, Hasan Mushrif, the Minister of Medical Education in Maharashtra, questioned why the hospital had not used its remaining Rs 4-5 crores to purchase medicines. Mushrif expressed deep concern over the housekeeping issues and emphasized that the matter was being taken very seriously. He raised questions about the hospital’s delayed medication procurement despite having sufficient funds.
He said, “The issue of housekeeping is very serious, we have taken that seriously. They still have Rs 4-5 crores. Why didn’t they purchase medicines? Our committee will give an answer. We will bring the medical college staff here. Every person’s life is important to us, and children’s life is important to us and for this, we will work very fast. There is no issue of funding but why didn’t they purchase medicines on time, we allowed the dean to buy 40 per cent of medicines. We will investigate this.”
The minister added, “A Committee of doctors has been formed to investigate the whole matter and action will be taken against those who are found guilty in this matter. There was no shortage of drugs in this hospital. We are immediately increasing the beds in hospital. Till now, 31 people have died in this hospital.”
Mushrif was joined by Guardian Minister Girish Mahajan during his visit to Nanded. The meeting also saw the presence of former Chief Minister and MLA Ashok Chavan and Member of Parliament Pratap Chikhalikar. Following the discussions, Mushrif announced his intention to bring up the conditions of medical colleges and hospitals across the state, not just Nanded, at the forthcoming cabinet meeting.
In the Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital, located in Nanded, Marathwada region, a total of 24 fatalities were recorded within a 24-hour period between September 30th and October 1st. Subsequently, between October 1st and October 2nd, seven more deaths were reported. This brought the overall count of casualties to 31 within a span of 48 hours.
According to the ANI report, Dr Shyamrao Wakode, the in-charge dean of Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital in Nanded said that the deceased patients suffered from various ailments, including snake bites, arsenic and phosphorus poisoning, among others. Dr. Wakode cited challenges related to staff transfers, budget issues, and the procurement of medicines as contributing factors to the crisis.
Meanwhile, at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, within the span of 24 hours until Tuesday morning, a distressing minimum of 18 deaths have been recorded. Among the deceased, there are also two newborn infants. The hospital is currently grappling with a shortage of medications, forcing patients to wander in search of medicines.
Hospital Superintendent Dr Vijay Kalyankar, on the other hand, asserted that the fatalities were not attributed to a deficiency in staffing or medications. The revelation of these fatalities has caused quite a stir, highlighting the dire situation in Maharashtra’s government hospitals.
Union Minister of State for Health, Bharti Pawar, has asked for a comprehensive report on the fatalities occurring in both hospitals. She said, “This is an unfortunate incident. We have spoken to the concerned authorities and sought an explanation. The situation at the Nanded hospital is grave. Further action will be taken after we receive a detailed report.” The government of Maharashtra is further looking into these issues at the government hospitals in the state.
The public health care system in Maharashtra has many loopholes, which were primarily exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The health infrastructure of the state crumbled entirely during the first 2 waves of COVID-19, with critical patients wandering from hospital to hospital for a bed, people gasping for oxygen and crematoriums running out of wood to cremate the deceased victims.
Despite the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic situation has significantly improved in recent months, the state government’s hospital and healthcare facilities have remained unchanged. In the last couple of years, several hospitals across Maharashtra reported incidents of mishaps, leading to the deaths of patients and hospital staff, underscoring the precarious state of health infrastructure in the state.
