The West Bengal government has ruled out any negligence in the treatment and death of the 18 new-borns at Dr B.C. Roy Hospital for Children. State health secretary Manabendra Nath Roy informed this on Friday citing the findings of a three-member inquiry committee which virtually gave a clean chit to the doctors at the hospital. “The
inquiry committee has not found any negligence or human lapse in the death of the 18 new-borns,” Mr Roy said at the Swasthya Bhavan in Salt Lake. Explaining the cause of the deaths, he said that out of the 18 new-borns, four were below the standard weight of 2.5 kgs while the rest died of asphyxia.
Mr Roy also brushed aside the allegation of misbehaviour by a section of doctors. “We are yet to receive any specific complaint in this regard,” he added.
Admitting of infrastructural hiccups at the hospital to tackle the overnight rush in admissions, he said: “There was a sudden rush in admissions. Whatever moribund condition the babies came in, we did admit them.”
In its report submitted to the health department, the committee has proposed a string of infrastructural upliftment at this biggest government-run paediatric referral hospital for children in the state. Based on the committee’s suggestions, Mr Roy announced: “A 40-bed Sick Neonatal Care Unit (SNCU) would be set up at the hospital within a month.” He added that a CT Scan machine would also be installed so that the parents of the babies do not need to rush for the facility in the nearby clinics or government hospitals. “Besides the government is also setting up 20 SNCUs by December in different districts in the state to decrease the number of referral cases to the hospital. Of them, 10 will be set up by September,” the health secretary mentioned.
Claiming the child mortality rate in the state at par with the national level, Mr Roy mentioned that the “highest priority” of the government will now be to bring down the rate further. Earlier Mr Roy and director of medical education Soumendra Nath Banerjee visited the hospital at Phoolbagan and reviewed the situation.