Rajasthan HC seeks report after 90 infants die at Banswara hospital in two months

Jodhpur: The Rajasthan High Court on Thursday took suo moto cognisance of reported deaths of at least 90 infants at MG hospital in Banswara and sought a detailed report from the state government. [caption id=“attachment_3999673” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] A division bench headed by the Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog termed the matter “very serious”. The court had taken cognisance of a report published in a Hindi daily a few days ago, and ordered the Legal Services Authority (LSA) to conduct an enquiry therein. An enquiry report was thereafter prepared by LSA and submitted to the court. The chief justice and Justice Ramchandra Singh Jhala, while initiating suo moto cognisance on Thursday, directed Additional Advocate General SS Ladrecha to submit a status report, giving information as to what was the cause of deaths. The court has also ordered that it be informed about the medical facilities available at MG hospital. The matter has been posted for hearing on 30 October. The district hospital of Banswara recorded the deaths of at least 90 newborns in July and August. The state government has already ordered a probe into the matter. The cause of deaths vary from birth asphyxia to low weight and pneumonia and infections, among other reasons. Banswara district, which is mainly a tribal area, has a population of 20 lakh and has only one government hospital.