Cuttack hospital horror: 51 infants die in 10 days, BJP protest on 2 Sept

Cuttack: Odisha Health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Naik tonight made a surprise visit to ‘Sishu Bhawan’ paediatric hospital here where 51 infants died in past 10 days. With four more crib deaths reported from the hospital on Sunday, the infant mortality toll in the referral children’s hospital shot up to 51 in the past 10 days, a senior official of the hospital said. [caption id=“attachment_2409702” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Upset with the turn of events, angry parents of the children, including those under treatment, accosted Naik for narrating their woes before visiting media persons. However, as the minister left the spot soon, the parents blamed Naik of not listening to their grievances and leaving in a huff. When contacted the hospital official refused to comment on the guardians’ complaint. The official further stated that seven senior residents from SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack joined on Sunday to help the paediatric staff here to cope with the situation. The Odisha unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday criticised the state government over the alarming death of infants at Sishu Bhawan in Cuttack. The party has decided to gherao all the 314 blocks on 2 September to protest the “state government’s failure to provide adequate health facilities to the infants resulting in spate of deaths” in the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Post Graduate Institute of Paediatrics (SVPPGIP), also known as Sishu Bhawan. “Despite the increasing number of infant deaths at the hospital, the state government has turned a mute spectator to this grave crisis and not taking any steps. It is also not filling up doctors’ posts lying vacant in the hospital,” said senior BJP leader Bijay Mohapatra. He further said that the party workers would stage demonstration in front of all Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) and Additional District Medical Officer (ADMO) offices. However, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) said that the opposition parties should not indulge in politics over the infant deaths issue. “We don’t feel that the infant deaths have been caused by negligence. The health minister is personally monitoring the situation. The issue of infant deaths should not be politicised,” said BJD spokesperson Amar Satapathy. Over 5,900 infants have died in the referral hospital while undergoing treatment in the last five years. As per the health department report, as many as 3,869 infant have died in OPD, while 2,034 have died in ICU in last five years starting from 2010-11 to 2014-15. With inputs from agencies