Nanded hospital death toll goes up to 35 including 16 infants
Medical education minister visited the hospital and after meetings with the doctors, accepted that shortage of doctors caused the deaths.
Mumbai: The death toll at Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital, in Nanded, shot up to 35 on Tuesday from Monday’s tally of 24. It comprises 16 infants and 19 adults. Of the infants who died were twin boys, who were born underweight on Sunday and died on Monday.
Medical education minister Hasan Mushrif visited the hospital on Tuesday and after meetings with the doctors and administrative staff, accepted that shortage of doctors caused the deaths. He said, to manage the shortfall the government is planning to appoint doctors on contract, until the vacancies are filled by regular recruitment process.
Meanwhile, in another incident, 14 deaths were reported in the Government Medical College and Hospital at Sambhaji Nagar, which includes two infants. The hospital superintendent, Dr Vijay Kalyankar, however said the deaths were not the result of a shortage of manpower or medicines.
Union minister of state for health Bharti Pawar has sought a report on the deaths of both hospitals. “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,” she said.
Chief minister Eknath Shinde has promised that the government will probe the Nanded incident and “not spare the culprits”.
Mushrif was accompanied by guardian minister Girish Mahajan to Nanded. Others who attended the meeting were former CM and MLA Ashok Chavan and MP Pratap Chikhalikar. After the meeting, Mushrif said he will raise the situation of medical colleges and hospitals in the state, other than Nanded, at the next cabinet meeting.
At a press conference, he pointed to the corrective measures his department is going to make to control and improve the situation. “This is a situation of emergency. Apart from hiring doctors on contract, we are also trying to depute doctors from other hospitals and seeking help from private doctors,” said Mushrif. He added that the government has issued orders to start recruiting nurses and sanitation workers right away. “I have told the district collector to expedite the process to fill the class four posts and to try the option of outsourcing,” he Mushrif.
Read here: Death toll in Nanded hospital rises to 31 as 7 more patients die on Monday night
MP gets dean to clean loo
Hingoli MP Hemant Patil from the Shinde camp of Shiv Sena visited the Nanded hospital and stirred the pot by expressing anger over the unhygienic conditions in the hospital and forcing the hospital’s acting dean, Dr S R Wakode, to clean the toilet. The incident created unrest among the doctors. Maharashtra State Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) has condemned it, with the body’s president Dr Abhijit Helge, saying, “The acting dean is not responsible for the vacant posts of various categories but it is the government’s responsibility fill those posts.”
