Sixteen newborns admitted to the Jawaharlal Nehru hospital in Ajmer have died in the last two weeks, causing consternation in the State.

Sixteen newborns admitted to the Jawaharlal Nehru hospital in Ajmer have died in the last two weeks, causing consternation in the State.

While five newborns admitted to the hospital’s neonatal unit died on the intervening night of May 15 and May 16, 11 deaths were reported in subsequent days, Chief Medical and Health Officer, Ajmer, Dr. K.K. Soni said.

A committee, comprising doctors, was constituted to probe the matter after the death of five infants, submitted its report to the district collector. However, a detailed report is yet to be filed on the circumstances that led to the death of 16 infants, he said. “Sixteen deaths in two weeks are slightly abnormal. Critical cases should have been handled by senior doctors,” a hospital official said.

The newborns, who were admitted from different parts of Ajmer and nearby districts, died of complications such as premature birth, septicemia and respiratory problems, according to hospital authorities.