Bhubaneswar, Sept. 2: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today directed the health department to provide free-of-cost blood to pregnant women and sick children at government hospitals across the state.

The government will spend Rs 16 crore to strengthen blood banks across the state.

The decision was taken after Naveen reviewed the health department's activities and the blood banks' status. The review followed the deaths of 56 children at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Postgraduate Institute of Paediatrics (Sishu Bhavan), the only referral hospital for children in the state.

The review coincided with the BJP's statewide protest against the infant deaths. Sharpening its attack on the government, the BJP organised protest rallies in all the 317 blocks of the state and at the offices of chief district medical officers. "Health infrastructure in the state has collapsed," alleged BJP leader Bijoy Mohapatra.

Reacting to this, health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said: "People should refrain from doing politics on the health department's activities. The BJP will not succeed in its attempt."

In another development, both the central team and the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (Odisha unit) team that visited the Sishu Bhavan have submitted their reports to the government, suggesting the need to strengthen the infrastructure at the institute and the district hospitals.

Academy (east zone) president Arabinda Mohanty told The Telegraph: "Besides taking steps to check the infant mortality rate, there is a need to develop communication between patients and doctors. Sishu Bhavan should issue a daily bulletin on the number of deaths and the reasons behind the deaths. Sometimes, lack of information leads to chaos."

The team had visited the hospital on August 28.

He also suggested that post-mortem should be done in case of each death. "Only through post-mortem, doctors can explain the reasons behind the deaths. It will dispel all confusion."

Academy secretary Dr Arjit Mohapatra said: "We have recommended a number of measures, including increase in the number of ICU beds, availability of essential drugs at reasonable cost, rationalisation of perinatal care and involvement of professionals in checking the infant morality across the state."

The major recommendations are to increase the neonatal intensive care unit beds at the hospital from nine to 50 and the beds at the paediatric intensive care unit from 12 to 40. It also suggested making essential drugs and disposables available at a reasonable cost.

The fact-finding team also suggested strengthening of the district-level hospitals and the existing sick newborn care units, apart from opening of new such units at the district and block levels as well in sub-urban areas.