BHOPAL: Both newborn babies who were allegedly bitten by rats inside the Neonatal Surgical Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Indore’s Maharaja Yeshwantrao (MY) Hospital have succumbed to their injuries and pre-existing medical conditions.
While the first infant died on Tuesday, the second baby girl, who was on ventilator support, passed away on Wednesday afternoon.
According to hospital authorities, the second newborn, whose parents hail from the neighbouring Dewas district, was suffering from congenital anomalies similar to the first child, who was from Dhar district.
"The baby girl who died around 1 pm on Wednesday was born with congenital intestinal anomalies. A successful surgical intervention was carried out, after which she was admitted to the NICU. However, her condition deteriorated over the past three to four days, necessitating ventilator support two days ago," said Dr. Jitendra Verma, Deputy Medical Superintendent, MY Hospital.
Verma further said that the infant had abrasions on two fingers, suspected to be caused by a rat bite. "Her condition worsened due to an uncontrolled septicaemic infection that spread throughout the body," he added.
The infant’s body was handed over to her parents, Rehana and her husband, who declined a post-mortem examination.
The tragic deaths come in the wake of reports that both newborns were bitten by rats on successive days, Sunday and Monday while undergoing treatment at the NICU.
In a related development, Indore police have not been able to trace the parents of the first newborn, who passed away on Tuesday. “Our teams visited the village in Dhar district, but were unable to locate the parents,” a senior police officer said. The child was reportedly abandoned at the hospital during treatment.
In the wake of the incident, the MGM Medical College, which oversees MY Hospital, has initiated administrative action.
Two nurses have been suspended, the nursing superintendent has been removed, and show-cause notices have been issued to several staff members, including the head of the Paediatric Surgery Department. Additionally, a fine of Rs 1 lakh has been imposed on the pest control agency contracted by the hospital.
A high-level committee comprising five doctors and a nursing officer has been formed to investigate the ingress of rodents into the NICU.
The committee has been directed to submit its report within seven days.
Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh State Human Rights Commission has taken cognisance of the matter and sought a detailed report from the hospital’s medical superintendent within a week.
The State Government, through the Commissioner of Public Health and Medical Education, has also sought an explanation from the medical superintendent.
MY Hospital is the largest government-run hospital in Madhya Pradesh and one of the most prominent tertiary care centres in central India. According to sources, rodent infestation within the hospital premises had been reported earlier, raising concerns over persistent lapses in sanitation and hospital maintenance.