60 children die in hospital in N India in 5 days: Report
At least 60 children, some of them newborns, have lost their lives in a government-run hospital in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh during the last five days, officials say.
Officials said Friday that the children had died at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College, the biggest hospital in Gorakhpur district of the most populous state in the country, over the previous five days.
Thirty deaths occurred between Thursday and Friday alone, the hospital said.
There have been unconfirmed allegations that oxygen supplies for the children were cut because of unpaid bills. Reports said that the company supplying oxygen to the hospital halted the service apparently because of millions of rupees in unpaid dues.
Hospital officials, however, rejected claims that the deaths had been caused by the lack of oxygen delivery to an intensive care unit (ICU) where most of the ill-fated infants were treated.
“There have been no deaths due to lack of oxygen supply,” said provincial Medical Education Minister Ashutosh Tandan, adding that the district magistrate of Gorakhpur had already ordered an investigation into the tragic case, and that “the report will be out within 24 hours.”
He admitted that there had been a disruption of oxygen delivery to the hospital on Thursday but added that it had “enough oxygen cylinders in stock.”
“Therefore the charge of lack of oxygen supply can be ruled out,” Tondon stated.
State-run hospitals in India are typically overcrowded and are often stretched to breaking point. Desperate patients usually face long delays for even minor treatment and might even be forced to share beds, prompting them to flock to private clinics and hospitals.
But consulting with a private physician can cost as much as 1,000 rupees ($15), a huge sum for millions of people living on less than $2 a day.
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