Jaipur: Two more children died in the JK Lon hospital in Rajasthan's Kota district on the first two days of the new year, taking the death toll to 102, confirmed hospital superintendent Suresh Dulara to IANS.
Ten kids have died in the last three days, as eight kids died on December 30 and 31 and two more kids died on January 1 and 2.
Dulara said that these two kids were critically ill and were in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Meanwhile, JK Lon's paediatrician department's chief Amritlal Bairwa said the eight kids who died in the last two days of the year were premature deliveries, and not due to not any fault on doctors' part. The weight of the new borns was too less and also their relatives did not follow proper instructions during delivery due to which the pregnant mothers came to the hospital in serious condition, said Bairwa.
The JK Lon Hospital registered 963 deaths in 2019. The committee formed after much furore, in its report concluded that the deaths were reported due to lack of oxygen pipeline in the hospital and extreme cold conditions.
Dulara further said: "As compared to other government hospitals, this number stands quite low. Also, one death a day means that death rate is falling down in this hospital, which witnessed 91 deaths in December last year."
Centre to send high-level team
The Centre will send a high-level team comprising experts from AIIMS, Jodhpur and health economists to a government hospital in Rajasthan's Kota, where 102 infants died in December, to assess the infrastructural gaps and measures to be taken to prevent further deaths.
The health economists will analyse the gaps in the infrastructure of the JK Lon hospital to ascertain how much funds will be required for strengthening it.
"The high-level team being despatched by @MoHFW_INDIA incl experts from AIIMS Jodhpur, Health Finance & Regional Director, Health Services Jaipur. It will reach #Kota tomorrow. In my letter too to @ashokgehlot51 ji, I've offered all possible assistance to prevent any further deaths (sic)," Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said in a tweet on Thursday.
Vardhan has also written to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, assuring him of all assistance, and urged him to initiate measures to stop the deaths of children at the JK Lon hospital.
"We are ready to provide any technical help or assistance. Let us ensure no child succumbs to preventable causes or due to lack of health system capacity," Vardhan has written in his letter to Gehlot.
According to Union health ministry officials, a preliminary probe has suggested that over 70 per cent of important equipment, including infusion pumps, warmers, oxymeters, nebulisers, meant for newborns, were not in a working condition at the JK Lon hospital and there was a paucity of staff in the paediatrics department.
A recent review had also revealed that the mortality rate at the hospital was 20.2 per cent in 2019, as against the 14.3 per cent in the preceding two years, an official said, adding that this meant one in five infants admitted to the hospital last year died from preventable causes.
The ministry was yet to receive a formal report from the state in this matter, the official said.
Besides, a committee constituted by the Rajasthan government has stated that the deaths were taking place due to a lack of oxygen pipelines in the hospital and also because of extreme cold conditions.
It also pointed towards an increased referral of critical cases and stated that the number of beds in the hospital was less than the flow of patients. The situation at the ICUs was also similar, the committee said.
"I informed @ashokgehlot51 ji that Rs 91.7 lakhs has already been advanced to JK Loan Hospital during 2019-20 under National Health Mission. Kota District alone has an annual allocation of Rs 27.45 Cr for '19-20, from the annual budgeted amount of Rs 1788.97 Cr for Rajasthan state (sic)," Vardhan said in another tweet.
"I told @ashokgehlot51 ji that #Rajasthan may go ahead and propose for further financial assistance in the upcoming Rajasthan National Health Mission (NHM) meeting after doing their gap analysis. We'll do our best to prevent further deaths, I assured him fully," the Union health minister wrote on Twitter.
Don't politicise deaths of infants: Gehlot
Reacting to criticism over the death of 102 infants, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said the issue should not be politicised and his government was sensitive to it.
His remarks came amid criticism by the BJP and BSP supremo Mayawati, who accused the state government of being insensitive.
Expressing displeasure on the response to the tragedy, Mayawati also questioned the silence of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, saying if she does not meet mothers of the deceased children, then her meeting with the kin of the victims of violence during the anti-CAA protests in UP will be "construed as pure theatrics".
"The government is sensitive to the death of sick infants in JK Lon Hospital in Kota. There should no politics over the issue. Infant mortality at this hospital is steadily decreasing. We will try to reduce it further. It is our top priority that mothers and children remain in good healthy," Gehlot tweeted in Hindi.
Gehlot further claimed that the first ICU for children in Rajasthan was established by the Congress government in 2003.
"We also established an ICU for children in Kota in 2011," he added.
Gehlot said the aim of 'Nirogi Rajasthan' was a priority for the government and an expert team from the Centre could further help improve health services in the state.
"We are ready to improve medical services in the state through discussions and cooperation with an expert team from the Centre," he said.
Meanwhile, BJP state president Satish Poonia expressed displeasure on the state government's attitude towards the issue.
"It is regrettable that the state health minister did not even visit the hospital. The chief minister is known for being sensitive. A delegation of BJP MPs had met the families who lost their children. They were in deep anguish. If the government is not sensitive then it is worrisome," Poonia said.
He alleged that the BJP MPs were manhandled by Congress workers during a visit to the Kota hospital.
Poonia said the BJP does not want to do politics on the issue but it is unfortunate that the state government is not dealing with it seriously.
(With PTI and IANS inputs)
