BHOPAL: Two senior health department officials have been removed from their posts in the wake of the deaths of 18 infants in just 12 days at the Shahdol district hospital of Madhya Pradesh.
The Shahdol district chief medical and health officer (CMHO) Dr Rajesh Pandey and district hospital’s civil surgeon VC Baria were removed from their posts, just a few hours after the state’s health and family welfare minister Dr Prabhuram Chowdhary inspected the Shahdol District Hospital on Tuesday.
Earlier, the minister conducted a detailed inspection of the hospital, including the Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) and Pediatric ICU (ICU), where most of the 18 deaths were reported.
Local public representatives, including the BJP MP from Shahdol seat Himadri Singh also accompanied Dr Prabhuram Chowdhary to the hospital.
"The entire government, including the CM is concerned over the deaths of the infants at the hospital. In addition to the existing 20-beds SNCU, another 20-beds SNCU has been sanctioned at the Shahdol district hospital. We don’t want to go into the number of deaths, as we’re concerned even on a single death of a child," said Chowdhary.
"Two teams have been sent to probe the episode at the hospital as well as the health facilities scenario in Shahdol and the two neighbouring districts. Not only are the facilities at the hospital being upgraded, but even the ANMs and ASHA workers have been directed to go to every village in Shahdol and adjoining two districts to find out kids/infants who are ill and need urgent medical treatment," the minister added.
According to the minister, initial probe has revealed that delay in bringing infants to the hospital on time is the reason behind these deaths. Most of these infants died due to being born with asphyxia, congenital cardiac deformities, pneumonia or encephalitis like symptoms.
"We’re now working at spotting all such ill infants and children in time and getting them treated with necessary medications at the PHCs and CHCs and reporting the most critical cases to the district hospital," the health minister said.