The Asian Age, 28 Oct, 2011
Four more babies died at Kolkata's B.C. Roy
Children's Hospital, which has witnessed a series of crib deaths, besides 12
newborns in the Burdwan Medical College, taking the death toll in two
government hospitals in West Bengal to 29 today.
Though the crib deaths have raised a question
mark on the standard of medical care in paediatric hospitals in the state,
hospital authorities claimed that it was 'not unusual'.
Twelve babies have died at the Burdwan
Medical College and Hospital in Burdwan district and four at the B.C. Roy
Children's Hospital here since yesterday, authorities said today.
"The one-to-three days old babies were
underweight and suffering from jaundice, encephalitis and septicemia,"
Burdwan Medical College and Hospital Deputy Superintendent Tapas Kumar Ghosh
said.
Doctors did their best to save the lives of
the babies, but all were born with critical complaints at the hospital where
160 infants were being treated against its capacity of 60 beds, he said.
In Kolkata, at the B.C. Roy Children's
Hospital, another four babies died taking up the toll there to 17 in the last
three days.
"Four babies, referred to us in a
critical condition, died in the hospital in the last 24 hours," its
superintendent D Pal said.
There was 'nothing abnormal or unusual' in
the death of babies, mostly below one month, Pal said, as they were admitted in
an extremely critical condition.
Pal said on an average, five infant deaths
occurred in the hospital of the daily admission of nearly 300, mostly referred
by district hospitals.
Stating that the hospital was overburdened
with patients referred from district hospitals, Pal maintained that the best of
care was given to the babies admitted.
But The health department yesterday gave a clean
chit to the B.C. Roy Children's Hospital after an internal inquiry.
Director of Medical Education Sushanta
Banerjee said no lapse was found in the treatment of the babies, who were
brought in a moribund state.
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