Patna, June 11: Health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey failed to provide definite answers when asked about the large number of child deaths in the state because of acute encephalitis syndrome.

Denying that it was a failure of the state government in general and his department in particular, Choubey said delay in treatment of the children and indigenous medicines were the cause of the deaths. He also accused RJD members of spreading rumours about the disease.

Addressing journalists after a 90-minute meeting with representatives of Indian Medical Association , doctors and heads of departments of various government medical colleges at Vikash Bhavan, the minister said: “According to figures available from Gaya, Muzaffarpur and Patna around 260 children were admitted in various hospitals in these districts from May 27. Out of them 100 children had died.”

He also accepted that the mystery disease, which had claimed the lives of the children, was acute encephalitis syndrome. The minister added: “The children were brought late to the hospitals. If the parents had brought their children early to health hubs instead relying on indigenous medicines, they could have been saved.”

Asked what the health department was doing to check the disease, Choubey blamed the Union government for not helping the state. “I have written several letters to Union health ministry urging them to set up a branch of National Institute of Virology in Bihar but no step has been taken in this regard,” said Choubey.