Bengal: 10 Newborns Die Within 24 Hours At Murshidabad Hospital, Probe Ordered

West Bengal News: 10 newborns died within 24 hours at Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital, prompting an investigation into the matter.

Visuals from Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital in West Bengal

Source : ABP Ananda

Ten newborns lost their lives within a span of 24 hours at Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital in West Bengal, igniting public outcry. The infants died between Tuesday midnight and Wednesday midnight. Murshidabad Medical College authorities said several children were referred from hospitals outside the district. Initially, it was assumed that the children could not handle the stress of travelling.

Besides, the hospital authorities claimed that half of the deceased children had extremely low weight at birth. Murshidabad Medical College authorities also informed that one child had a congenital heart disease, ABP Ananda reported. 

The infants were transferred from the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) at Jangipur Sub-Divisional Hospital to Murshidabad Medical College due to inadequate facilities, news agency ANI cited authorities as saying. The abrupt surge in patient numbers added significant strain to the already burdened medical college, contributing to the deaths, they said.

Most Children Were Malnourished, One Had Severe Heart Problem: Murshidabad Hospital Principal

Professor Amit Dan, Principal of Murshidabad Medical College Hospital, revealed details surrounding the incident. "We have formed an inquiry committee. Based on a preliminary inquiry, most of the children were found to be malnourished and weighed 300-500 grams. One among them had a severe heart problem from birth. We do not have the facility to treat him here, and we did not have the time to take him to the facility to get him treated," Professor Dan told ANI.

West Bengal | Deaths of 10 children reported at Medical College and Hospital in Murshidabad.

Prof. Amit Dan of the Medical College and Hospital says, "PWD's work is going on at the Jangipur Subdivision Hospital. So, patients from there were shifted here. Hence, the number of… pic.twitter.com/5cwWpgqMET

— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2023

He further revealed the challenges faced by the hospital, stating, "Another problem is that in PWD work is going on at Jangipur hospital, and all patients there are being referred to us. We have 129 beds and 300 patients. We are trying our best, but we are not able to save all children, most of whom suffer from malnutrition and are underweight."

According to a report by ABP Ananda, a three-member internal investigation committee of the hospital will submit a report today on the children's death. 

The state health department issued a statement, assuring that requisite measures would be taken to prevent such deaths in the future, ANI reported. As the investigation is ongoing, further details are awaited.

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