Over 13,000 infants died in Gujarat's government newborn care units in 2 years: Deputy CM

Deputy chief minister Nitin Patel gave this information while responding to a set of questions raised by Congress MLAs during the Question Hour.

Over 13,000 infants have died during treatment in the sick newborn care units (SNCUs) of government-run hospitals in Gujarat in the last two years, the state Legislative Assembly was told on Wednesday.

The figures presented by the state government reveal that an average of 18 infants died during treatment at the SNCUs everyday in the last two years.(Prashanth Vishwanathan / UNICEF)

Deputy chief minister Nitin Patel gave this information while responding to a set of questions raised by Congress MLAs during the Question Hour.

He said that a total of 13,496 infants died while undergoing treatment at the SNCUs in the last two years till December 2020.

The figures presented by the state government reveal that an average of 18 infants died during treatment at the SNCUs everyday in the last two years.

While the maximum number of deaths - 3,134 - were reported in Ahmedabad district, no such casualties were reported in Mahisagar, Aravalli, Botad, Anand and Devbhumi- Dwarka districts, said Patel, who also handles the health portfolio.

As many as 1.06 lakh infants were admitted to the SNCUs across the state for further treatment in the last two years, and of these, 69,000 were born in the state-run hospitals, while 38,000 were born in other hospitals and were referred to the SNCUs, he said.

He assured the House that the government was committed to stop the deaths of newborns.

The state government has given priority to filling the vacant posts of doctors and nurses at the SNCUs and also providing necessary medical devices to these centres at the earliest.