Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Oct 3: After 31 deaths were reported from the Nanded government hospital in the last two days, including 24 deaths in one day, Ghati hospital in Aurangabad (Now Renamed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) reported 18 deaths in the last 24 hours raising questions about the health of the government hospitals in Maharashtra.
According to officials, 18 deaths were recorded between 8 am on October 2 and 8 am on October 3, four individuals were brought dead.
A troubling situation persists at the government-run hospital in Nanded, as authorities on Tuesday confirmed seven more patient deaths between October 1 and 2, a day after it came to light that 24 patients, including 12 newborns, died within 24 hours allegedly due to lack of medical help and medicines. The total number of the deceased patients in the hospital in 48 hours was 31.
The District Information Office (DIO) of Nanded confirmed these additional fatalities, urging the public not to panic stating that a team of doctors is present and ready to respond. “The facts related to the death of patients at Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital is as follows: 24 deaths between September 30 and October 1; seven deaths between October 1 and 2. Please do not panic. A team of doctors is ready,” the DIO said.
Of the initial 24 deaths reported between September 30 and October 1, 12 were infants, as revealed by the hospital in-charge dean Dr S.R. Wakode, who attempted to downplay the severity of the situation claiming that many of the deceased were outpatients who were brought to the hospital in a critical condition from neighbouring districts of Hingoli, Parbhani and Washim. Some were from the bordering villages in Telangana.
“There are 142 admissions in the paediatric department of the hospital 42 are still critical. Oxygen as well as ventilator facilities are there,” he said, adding that most of the infants were in the 0–3 day age group and had very low weight.
In response to the crisis, Maharashtra Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif is scheduled to visit the hospital to take an update on the situation.
Officials said that a three-member expert committee has been set up to probe the incident. Family members of the deceased alleged that a lack of medical facilities and inadequate treatment led to the deaths. Local sources confirmed that the condition of about 70 more adult patients admitted to the hospital remain critical.
The Chief Minister Eknath Shinde refuted the opposition allegations that the deaths were caused by shortage of medicines and said his government had taken the hospital deaths very seriously, and appropriate action would be taken after a detailed inquiry while denying that there were shortages of medicines and staff.
Talking to reporters after the weekly Cabinet meeting in Mumbai, Mr Shinde said adequate medicine stock and medical staff were available at the hospital. Many of the deceased were old people with heart ailments, underweight infants or accident victims, he added. “The deaths are unfortunate. We have taken the incident very seriously. An inquiry has been ordered and action will be taken appropriately,” the chief minister said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray expressed deep concern and shock and said these incidents point to a concerning collapse of the healthcare system in Maharashtra during the tenure of the “Shinde-BJP government.” He further criticised the government for what he perceived as a lack of concern for people’s lives and a failure to address the gravity of the situation. “Individuals who neglect their duty to safeguard the lives of Maharashtra’s residents have no rightful place in positions of power. These events have underscored the need for immediate action to restore public trust in the healthcare system and prevent further tragic incidents,” the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader added.
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Chavan, who visited the hospital on Monday, expressed his deep concern, stating that the deaths continue unabated at the hospital in Nanded. He demanded that the State government hold individuals accountable for the ongoing tragedy.
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar slammed the Shinde government for the deaths and asserted that the incident highlights the failure of the government system. The 82-year-old politician called for a serious response to ensure the safety of patients in the future.
“Just two months ago, there was an unfortunate incident where 18 people died in a single night in Kalwa Hospital of Thane Municipal Corporation. However, due to not taking this incident seriously, such a very serious incident was repeated in the government hospital in Nanded. This shows the failure of government systems,” he said. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray said that the “health of the State is on ventilator.”
The Nanded hospital dean, however, had a dirty time in the hospital. Even as the chief minister did not hold the hospital staff or the shortage of medicines to be responsible for the deaths, Shinde’s party MP, however, decided to “punish” the dean for “dirty” toilets in the hospital.
After the deaths made national headlines, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) MP Hemant Patil visited the Shankarrao Chavan Government Hospital on Tuesday and took stock of the situation there. On spotting a filthy toilet, Mr Patil caught hold of the hospital’s dean Dr Wakode, and asked him to clean it.
Videos show the MP standing and holding a pipe as the dean empties the toilet, putting a container, a bottle, and a toilet brush on a window. Mr Patil can then be seen spraying water into the toilet as Mr Wakode, armed with a wiper, directs streams of dirty water into the commode.
Dr Wakode had, on Monday, rejected allegations of medical negligence and said there was no shortage of medicines or doctors. He had said the patients were given proper care, but did not respond to the treatment.