4 infants die at Ambikapur hospital, Chhattisgarh health minister orders probe

Surguja collector Kundan Kumar said he has spoken to the doctor and electrician concerned to understand what happened at the hospital and did not find a link between the deaths and the brief disruption in power earlier in the night

RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh government ordered a probe into the death of four infants at a government hospital in the Surguja district within a span of a few hours on Monday after their parents linked their deaths to an alleged power outage at the hospital.

Surguja district collector Kundan Kumar said the four newborns who died were in a critical condition and their tragic death was not linked to power supply (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Surguja district officials denied the link, insisting that the regular power supply was disrupted at the hospital affiliated with the government medical college in Ambikapur for half an hour past midnight but the backup generator kicked in immediately and the functioning of the ventilator was not impacted. Officials said the infants died between 5.30am and 8.30am on Monday.

Surguja collector Kundan Kumar said he has spoken to the doctor and electrician concerned to understand what happened at the hospital and did not find a link.

“The death of four infants took place on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday. We talked to all the people including the doctor on duty and it’s very clear that the electricity fluctuation didn’t cause interruptions in the functioning of the ventilator,” Kumar said.

The four children who died were in critical condition and admitted to the Special Neonatal Care Unit (SNCU) and two children were on ventilator support. There are still 30-35 children in SNCU, the collector said.

Kumar said there were issues in the power supply as a panel was burnt and it was taking some time to repair it. “However, the alternative backup (electricity) was working throughout and all the ventilators were on throughout the time,” he added.

In a video statement later, Chhattisgarh health minister TS Singhdeo, who represents Ambikapur in the assembly, said he has ordered the health secretary to constitute a probe team and send it to the spot for an inquiry. “I have also informed chief minister Bhupesh Baghel about the incident,” he said.

The Surguja collector said the medical report of the four infants will be released soon.

Chhattisgarh governor Anusuiya Uikey also expressed grief over the incident and directed the government to take appropriate action after investigating the cause of deaths. She also told the government to ensure relief to the kin of the deceased kids.