Patna/Gaya, June 5: Principal secretary, health, Amarjeet Sinha today attributed the recent deaths of children in Muzaffarpur and Gaya to excessive heat, poverty and malnutrition and not to encephalitis.
Since the last week of May, 11 children have died in Muzaffarpur and nine in Gaya of suspected encephalitis.
Sinha, who visited Muzaffarpur today to assess the situation, said the deaths in Gaya were not related to Japanese encephalitis. “A team of specialists from the Patna-based Rajendra Medical Research Institute visited Gaya on Thursday to conduct tests and diagnose the disease. The report said the children did not die of Japanese encephalitis,” he added.
The principal secretary said the government would set up nutritional rehabilitation centres in 2012-13 at 477 additional primary health centres and 533 primary health centres in the state to take care of malnourished children.
He added: “We have decided to extend ambulance services to boys up to the age of 14 years and girls up to the age of 18 years suffering from encephalitis so that they can be hospitalised at the earliest.”
He said intensive care units have been started at both Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) in Muzaffarpur and Anugrah Narayan Medical College and Hospital (ANMCH) in Gaya. The government is planning to set up a paediatric intensive care unit each at Muzaffarpur Sadar Hospital and Lady Elgin Hospital in Gaya, he added.
Sinha said: “We will take strict action against Dr Shambhu Sharan Singh, the assistant professor posted in Bhagalpur, for not serving in Gaya after being transferred to the district.”
Health department director Surendra Kumar today visited ANMCH to assess the situation following the death of nine children, including one this morning, of suspected acute encephalitis syndrome since May 30.
The director met the children admitted in the hospital and enquired about the symptoms of the disease and also the treatment being provided. He asked the superintendent, Sitaram Prasad, to make the the inoperative ICU in the paediatrics department operational at the earliest.
