Jamshedpur, Aug. 29: Governor Droupadi Murmu has expressed her concern over the alarming number of baby deaths at MGM Medical College and Hospital over the past two months on a day Jharkhand High Court rushed a district judge to review the neonatal ICU at the state-run heal hub.
"It is very unfortunate that we have lost so many children. It is a serious concern. A team deputed by the state government is investigating the matter. Innocent children cannot be left to die like this," Murmu said today on the sidelines of a function at Iskcon's centralised kitchen for midday meals in the steel city.
Besides the governor and high court, the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) has also taken cognisance of media reports on the crib deaths and directed East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Amit Kumar to submit a report within a week.
Sources said district and sessions judge Manoj Prasad inspected the paediatric ward at MGM hospital, where more than 100 babies - most of them newborns - died in July-August, for half an hour from 10.30am. Prasad, also chairman of the district legal services authority (DLSA), was accompanied by secretary of the outfit S.N. Sikdar.
An office-bearer of DLSA revealed that the high court had taken suo motu cognisance of the MGM deaths and verbally instructed the district judge to inspect the hospital.
The team toured the neonatal ICU and held a brief meeting with the hospital superintendent.
The judge refused to disclose his findings and said he would submit his report to the high court.
Superintendent of MGM Bhartendu Bhushan said the judge had wanted to know why more than one baby was being kept in an incubator. "We showed him the four (functional) incubators (among six) and told him about our compulsions," Bhushan said.
The superintendent told the judge that in July, 141 babies had been admitted to MGM hospital. "Among them, 60 including 52 newborns (less than 28 days old) died. But, we saved the remaining 81. Similarly, in August so far, 33 newborns out of 106 have died, but 73 have also been saved. Today, five more premature and underweight newborns have been admitted," Bhushan said, indicating how overburdened the hospital was.
Manoj Kumar, a member of the child rights panel, told this newspaper that they had taken up the issue seriously. "Such a high number of newborn/infant deaths at a state hospital reeks of negligence (even if the babies died because of malnutrition). The deputy commissioner must submit a report in a week," he said over phone from Ranchi.
Jharkhand Human Rights Conference, the nonprofit that first raked up the crib deaths, handed over its petition for a CBI probe to the visiting district judge.
Congress supporters, on the other hand, took out a rally and staged a dharna at Sakchi roundabout for the second consecutive day. The protest was led by the party's national spokesperson Ajoy Kumar and former minister K.N. Tripathi.
