A total of 10 infants have died in the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) ward at the government-run Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital between 6th and 7th December this year.
The hospital is located in Behrampore city in Murshidabad district of West Bengal. As per reports, a total of 9 newborns and a 2-year-old infant have died within a span of 24 hours.
Three of the deceased infants were born in the Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital. Other infants, referred to the government-run hospital, were said to be in a critical condition.
Reportedly, the 2-year-old child who died at the hospital was being treated for neurological problems. Citing sources, Times Now reported that the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) ward at Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital has a capacity of only 54 babies.
However, more than 100 newborns were admitted to the hospital. According to Times Now, this might have led to the possible spread of infections. As per a report by ABP Ananda, the deceased infants had extremely low birth weight and the mothers were malnourished.
Newborns referred to Murshidabad Hospital beyond its limit
“The children could not be saved as the golden hour had passed,” a hospital official told the news channel. Reportedly, renovation work is underway at the SNCU ward of the Jangipur Super Speciality Hospital for the past 6 weeks.
As such, the Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital was forced to admit newborns beyond its capacity. Moreover, the government-run hospital had to admit infants in critical conditions who were referred by the sub-divisional hospitals in Domkal and Lal Bagh
According to reports, a whopping 380 newborns were referred to the Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital in November this year. Following an upheaval over the incident, the hospital administration constituted a committee to investigate the death of newborns. A report has been sent to the State Health Department.
Poor medical infrastructure of Murshidabad Hospital exposed
While speaking about the tragic incident, the Medical superintendent of the hospital Amit Kumar told Times Now, “We have set an initial enquiry committee and we have got a preliminary report.”
“Based on that I am saying most of the children were malnourished. One child had a severe heart disease for which we don’t have the infrastructure to treat. And we didn’t even get the time.”
He pointed out “…We are trying our best but some children are dying. Most of them are malnourished and underweight. It is becoming very difficult for us to save those children as they weigh around 600 grams. Hence it has become a big challenge.”
“We are forced to keep more than one patient in a bed,” Amit Kumar conceded. Despite setting up a referral system in June this year, the plight of patients remains miserable. The death of 10 infants has brought the spotlight on the poor state of medical infrastructure in Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal.
