Rajasthan's Jodhpur also records more than 100 infant deaths in Dec: 146 casualties from two state-run hospitals in city

Jodhpur: Over 100 infants died in two government hospitals in Jodhpur in December last year, a report has found amid growing outrage over infant deaths in a Kota hospital. While a total of 146 children died in Umaid and MDM hospitals in Jodhpur in December, 102 deaths were reported in the Neonatal intensive care unit. The figures of infant deaths in Jodhpur were given in a report prepared by the SN Medical College in the light of casualties in Kota’s JK Lon Hospital. Over 100 infants have died in the government-run hospital n Kota. [caption id=“attachment_3293034” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. IBNLive[/caption] The Principal of the SN Medical College SS Rathore, however, said the figure is in the range of international standards of infant mortality. “A total of 47,815 children had been admitted to the hospitals in 2019 and of this 754 children died," said Rathore. In December, 4,689 children had been admitted to the hospitals of which 3002 had been admitted to NICU and ICU and 146 of them died. Rathore said most of the children who died were those referred from other surrounding districts in a critical condition. “The hospitals here have to bear a load of patients from entire Western Rajasthan and children were also referred from hospitals like AIIMS”, said Rathore. He said the critical care unit of the hospitals have been adjudged best in the entire state for two consecutive years and attributed it to their best practices and care. Though Rathore denied any shortage of resources to deal with the “pressure” at the hospitals, there have been reports that many senior doctors have been running their own private hospitals. Recently, notices had been served to these doctors including those, who have been running medical shops at their residences.