BHOPAL: One of the two newborns who were reportedly bitten by rats on successive days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Madhya Pradesh’s largest state government hospital, Indore’s MY Hospital, died during treatment on Tuesday.
The low-birth-weight (LBW) baby girl, who weighed only 1.2 kg and had critically low hemoglobin levels, pulmonary complications, and other congenital anomalies, was on ventilator support.
“Two newborns were bitten by rats on the shoulder and fingers. Both were under treatment by the pediatric surgery department.
According to doctors, the baby girl, who was around 5–7 days old and hailed from the adjoining Khargone district, had been abandoned at the hospital by her parents.
She was in a moribund state and on ventilator support. The baby died due to septicemia, but the rat bite wasn’t the cause, as the wound was too small,” said Dr. Arvind Ghanghoria, Dean of MGM Medical College.
“The other child has undergone surgery and is currently stable on ventilator support,” Dr. Ghanghoria added.
Importantly, while the deceased baby girl was from Khargone district, the other newborn, a baby boy hails from the neighboring Dewas district.
While maintaining that the rat menace had been present in the ICU facility for only the past 4–5 days, Dr. Ghanghoria detailed a series of actions taken in response.
“Two nursing officers, Akansha Benjamin and Shweta Chauhan who failed to inform the hospital administration despite having spotted rats in the ICU over the past few days, have been suspended,” he said.
Show-cause notices have also been issued to Head Nurse Kalawati Balavi, Pediatric ICU In-charge Praveena Singh, and the Head of the Pediatric Surgery Department, Dr. Manoj Joshi. Further action will be based on their responses and the findings of the ongoing investigation.
Additionally, Nursing Superintendent Margret Joseph has been removed from her position and replaced by Dayawati Dayal.
A fine of Rs1 lakh has been imposed on the company responsible for pest control, which has also been asked to explain why its services should not be terminated.
The ongoing probe suggests that flooding near the hospital building due to recent heavy rains may have triggered the rat infestation.
“A high-level inquiry committee, comprising five doctors and a nursing officer, has been constituted by the Medical College. The committee has been asked to submit its report within a week,” Dr. Ghanghoria said.
Maharaja Yeshwantrao (MY) Hospital, which is not only the largest government hospital in Madhya Pradesh but also one of the biggest public-sector hospitals in central India, is affiliated with the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Medical College in Indore.
Meanwhile, in a related development, the Madhya Pradesh State Human Rights Commission has directed the MY Hospital Medical Superintendent to conduct a thorough investigation and submit a report within a week.