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New Delhi, Feb 8 (PTI & online bureau): The National Human Rights Commission on Friday issued notice to the Union Health Secretary and Medical Superintendent of Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital, one of the largest in the country, on a complaint alleging that more than 8,200 children have died at the institution in the past five years.
The NHRC statement did not mention the total number of children treated by the government-owned hospital during the period. However, according to the hospital’s annual report, it admits over 1.25 lakh patients a year, and 23 lakh are handled by its outpatient department.
The NHRC issued the notices, returnable in four weeks on a complaint by R H Bansal alleging that more than 8,200 children up to the age of five years died during the last five years in Safdarjung Hospital.
In his complaint, he also alleged that out of the 8,200 children, about 3000 were newly born.
The NHRC statement did not mention the total number of children treated by the government-owned hospital during the period. However, according to the hospital’s annual report, it admits over 1.25 lakh patients a year, and 23 lakh are handled by its outpatient department.
In his petition to the NHRC, Bansal has claimed that he got the information from the hospital under RTI.
“He has also alleged that five out of 18 ventilators for children were not functional. The conditions were unhygienic and there was an acute shortage of essential services at the hospital.
“He has also alleged that women were also dying during pregnancy in the hospital,” an NHRC statement said.
On Thursday, the NHRC had issued a notice to the Union Health Secretary on a complaint alleging that three government hospitals in the capital conducted illegal clinical drug trials on nearly 3,500 children during the last five years.
The hospitals are Safdarjung Hospital (2,056 children), Kalawati Saran Children Hospital (1,023) and Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital (400).
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