Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, Nov 18: Two children brought to Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (MGMCH) for treatment had been referred by doctors there for immediate admission to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Hospital died late Tuesday night and one in the early hours of Wednesday as there were no vacant beds for the children. The MGMH Administration has been blamed for the death of the two children. However, the condition of three other children admitted to the Hospital is stated to be satisfactory.
It may be mentioned that orphaned and destitute children are looked after by Sahyog Village, an organization for the purpose at Sonari. Presently, there are six children under the Sahyog Village’s care. According to reports available, the condition of a one year old girl chil;d there deteriorated on November 16. She was weak and was marked in the undernourished category. She was rushed to MGMCH where the doctor advised that she be admitted to NICU Ward of the Hospital. But bed being unavailable in the Ward, she was kept in the general ward where she died late on Tuesday night.
Two hours later another child too died in the Hospital. The child had been admitted to MGMCH on Tuesday afternoon with complaint of diarrhea and fainting. The doctors at the emergency room advised the child’s immediate admission to the NICU Ward but the result was the same. There was no vacant bed in the Ward. The child passed away at 3 am on Wednesday morning. The two back-to-back death of the two children due to lack of beds in the NICU Ward caused panic among the Sahyog Village and Hospital units.
The Sahyog Village organization members put the blame of the two child-death cases squarely on the MGMCH administration. They accused the administration of lackadaisical attitude towards patients. On the other hand, the hospital administration said that it was providing the best possible services under limited provisions. There are six warmers in the NICU Ward where more than 15 children have been accommodated to manage and save their lives.
The doctor who treated the two children who died, Dr SL Murmu stated that the kids were supposed to have been admitted to the NICU Ward but due to shortage of beds they could not be taken in. he said that the reasons for their deaths had not been ascertained at that point. “But one child was suffering due to malnutrition. The second child who was having loose motions and fainting could have been infected with Japanese Encephalitis. In the case of Diarrhea a child does not faint.”
After the deaths of the two children the Sahyog Village organization members accused the Hospital administration of negligence and have demanded a medical report following which they would put up a complaint with the government. Bal Kalyan Samiti president Pushpa Rani Tirkey, Alok Bhaskar and others were present at the time.
