KEONJHAR: At least four newborn babies died in Keonjhar district headquarters hospital (DHH) in the last 24 hours allegedly due to negligence during treatment.
Parents of the kids staged an agitation on the hospital premises alleging that the infants succumbed during hospitalisation in the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) as they were not supplied with oxygen on time.
The babies were six-day-old son of Deepesh Naik of Joda, five-day-old son of Kam Dehuri of Banspal block, eight-day-old son of Bibhishan Lohar of Guruda and six-day-old son of Jayanta Chatamba of Champua.
Apart from the short supply of oxygen, relatives of the infants alleged the duty doctors were absent when the condition of kids worsened in the night.
“Since we are allowed to go inside the SNCU, there is no scope to ascertain whether the kids are being attended properly and timely. There was no doctor present in the hospital on Saturday night and nurses were seen running for oxygen,” said the mother of a kid.
As the tension ran high in the hospital following the agitation by locals and family members of kids, Chief District Medical and Public Health Officer (CDM&PHO) Dr Sujata Rani Mishra rushed there with a team of officials to take stock of the situation.
Sources said 13 kids have died in the last 18 days while being treated in the hospital. The hospital authorities attributed the death of kids to low birth weight and complications during home delivery.
“The hospital record says 128 kids have been admitted in the last one month and 13 of them have died due to birth-related complications and low birth weight,” Dr Mishra said and refuted the allegation that there was shortage of oxygen and absence of doctors in the hospital.
She has ordered a probe into the incident to ascertain the exact cause of deaths. Director of Public Health Dr Niranjan Mishra has also sought a report from the CDM&PHO on the series of death of newborns.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Kisore Das has asked Keonjhar district administration to inquire into the matter and submit an action taken report immediately. The agitators were pacified after the police assured them to investigate the death of kids.