364 children had died during the same month last year

As many as 415 infants and children died at the Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College hospital in Gorakhpur in August this year, an increase of 51 deaths over the same month last year.

As per hospital data, the hospital recorded 234 deaths in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and 181 in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). The NICU treats newborns while older children are treated in the PICU. Deaths due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) are included in the PICU.

In August 2016, 364 children died in the hospital. Of these, 190 were recorded in the PICU and 174 in the NICU.

The hospital had already recorded 386 deaths till August 29 this year. With 29 deaths on the last two days of the month, the figure reached 415.

While figures for death percentage in the last two days could not be obtained, till August 29 it stood at 3.14% in the PICU and 7.20% in the NICU, with 171 and 215 deaths, respectively.

While 1,000 patients were admitted in the PICU ward till August 29, another 480 were in the NICU section. Out of 171, around 73 died of AES.

The death percentage at the PICU last August was 2.8% when 1,130 patients were admitted. In the NICU, 445 patients were admitted, of which 174 died at a percentage of 7.38%.

The highest number of deaths recorded in a single day last year in the PICU and the NICU was 11 on August 9, 11 and 23.

This year, the highest number of deaths recorded in a day in the PICU was 15 on August 28. The NICU section recorded the highest deaths at 15 on August 14, 14 on August 10 and 12 on August 20.

However, the deaths due to AES last year in August, 104, were higher.

According to BRD principal P.K.Singh, 34 children died in the NICU from August 26 to 29. While two died due to respiratory syndrome, one due to sepsis, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy claimed 10 lives and very low birth weight claimed 11 lives.

In the PICU section, 41 deaths took place from August 26 to 29. Of these, 15 died of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome, 15 of sepsis, four died of snake bite or scorpion stings and three from pneumonia.

August 28 also recorded the highest number of combined deaths in the PICU and the NICU this month with 25 casualties, followed by 24 on August 14 and 23 on August 10, when the oxygen supply was allegedly disrupted.

Explaining the recent spurt in numbers, Mr. Singh on Wednesday said a large number of patients were coming to the hospital during the current monsoon period.

The number of children admitted in the hospital on Wednesday was 344, Mr. Singh said. The BRD principal said, “Most of the children brought to the hospital are so critical, they can survive only for 30 minutes to one hour with the best possible management.”

Mr. Singh said the hospital had “sufficient supply of medicine and oxygen”, adding that doctors were doing their job sincerely.

However, he could not be reached over phone calls or messages on Thursday and Friday.