Gorakhpur-like tragedy strikes UP again: Lack of oxygen kills 49 children in Farrukhabad hospital

In a shocking repeat of the Gorakhpur tragedy, which struck an Uttar Pradesh hospital on 11 August, 49 children have died within a month in a hospital in Farrukhabad allegedly due to lack of oxygen, media reports said on Monday.

According to CNN-News18, an FIR has been filed against the top officials of the government hospital.

While 30 children died in the sick newly-born care unit (SNCU) of the hospital alone, 19 others died at the time of delivery or soon after delivery at the hospital,  Hindustan Times  reported. District magistrate Ravindra Kumar had ordered a magisterial inquiry after 19 of his notices to the hospital authorities went unheeded.

The SNCU in-charge, Dr Kailash Kumar, however, claimed there were reasons ranging from children born prematurely to being underweight for the death of children.

Reacting strongly to the second such incident in state, the Samajwadi Party (SP) lashed out at the Yogi Adityanath government. “The heath minister must publicly apologise for his failures and the chief minister should ask him to go,” SP leader Ghanshyam Tiwari told CNN-News18.

On 11 August, Gorakhpur’s Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College had grabbed the headlines after more than 60 children, mostly infants, died at the hospital within the span of a week, reportedly due to encephalitis and lack of oxygen.

Following the deaths, cases were registered under various sections of the IPC, Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Medical Council Act against nine individuals.

A probe by local administration had revealed that there was overwriting in the log book containing the details of purchase and re-filling of oxygen cylinders at the BRD Hospital. The report also held Pushpa Sales, the supplier, responsible for the break in oxygen supply. However, the supplier maintained that despite the college defaulting  on the payment for supply, the company never made any interruptions in the supply.