‘Most unsafe’ hospital, says Cong as MP govt gives grim details of infant deaths

According to the Sample Registration Survey of 2018, the infant mortality rate in Madhya Pradesh was the highest in India with 48 per 1,000 live births

Published on: Dec 22, 2021, 16:43:46 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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BHOPAL: As many as 37 infants, on average, died daily at the Special Neonatal Care Unit (SNCU) of Bhopal’s Hamidia Hospital over the last five years, Madhya Prades health minister Prabhuram Chaudhary told the state assembly on Tuesday.

“In the past five years, 500,996 infants have been admitted to [the] SNCU and 68301 died. The highest deaths were reported in 2019-20... 14,759,” Chaudhary said in response to Congress lawmaker Jitu Patwari’s question.

Patwari said the hospital’s SNCU is most unsafe in Madhya Pradesh. “The state government should fix responsibility for deaths of infants because deaths of 13% of infants are really a matter of concern. The condition of health facilities is getting worse by the day, but the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government has not shown any concern over it.”

According to the Sample Registration Survey of 2018, the infant mortality rate in Madhya Pradesh was the highest in India with 48 per 1,000 live births.

Chaudhary maintained most of the infants referred to the Hamidia Hospital’s SNCU are in serious condition. “Prematurely born are also admitted to the Hamidia Hospital. I cannot say survival rate is good but doctors do their best to save infants.”

In November, 40 infants were admitted to the hospital when a fire broke out and claimed four lives. Later, 10 infants also died within 48 hours.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More