In a major public health system disaster in Congress-ruled Rajasthan, seventy-seven children have died in Kota’s JK Lon Hospital in the first 24 days of this month and 10 kids have died in the last 48 hours, reports Times of India.
According to the reports, the JK Lon Hospital in Kota, Rajasthan has stated that 10 children who died over the last couple of days were extremely critical and on ventilator support.
However, the hospital has given a clean chit to itself by forming a committee to investigate the deaths, which has now ruled out any negligence saying resources and equipment were functioning properly.
Further, the hospital has also claimed that five newborns who died on December 23 and 24 were just a day old and breathed their last within few hours after they were admitted. The report said they were suffering from Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy, a condition in which the infant’s brain does not receive enough oxygen and septicemia.
The report also said a five-month-old died on December 23 because of severe pneumonia, while a seven-year-old died of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). The third infant was a one-and-a half-month-old, died of complex cyanotic congenital heart disease.
Apart from them, a two-month-old succumbed to severe pneumonia with aspiration and another one-and-a-half-year-old died of seizure disorder with aspiration on December 24.
“After investigating, we have found that all the 10 deaths were normal and did not die because of negligence,” claimed Hospital Superintendent Dr HL Meena on Wednesday.
Amrit Lal Bairwa, the hospital head of the paediatrics department said the children were brought in critical condition. “According to national NICU records, 20 per cent deaths of infants are acceptable, whereas the death per cent in Kota is 10-15, which is not alarming as most infants were rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Critical patients come from Bundi, Baran, Jhalawar and also from Madhya Pradesh. One to three infants and newborns die here daily,” he added.
The administration has also supported the hospital’s claim ruling out negligence. Kota district collector Om Prakash Kasera said, “Investigation into the deaths of 10 children, who died in two days (December 23 and December 24), has found that they were brought to the hospital in critical condition after being referred from other hospitals in nearby districts”.