J K Lon Hospital

KOTA: Despite the political hue and cry over deaths of 10 infants within 48 hours in Kota’s J K Lon Hospital on December 23-24, newborns and infants continued to die in the hospital even as massive efforts got underway to improve the situation.

At least 14 infants, including six newborns, have died in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of the hospital from December 25 to December 29, taking the death toll of kids in the hospital to 91 in 29 days this month.

The deaths were confirmed by Dr Suresh Dulara, the newly appointed superintendent of the hospital.

Meanwhile, state BJP’s fact-finding panel of experts, headed by former health ministers Rajendra Singh Rathore and Kalicharan Saraf, visited the hospital on Monday and held detailed interactions with officials.

The two ex-ministers slammed the Ashok Gehlot government for defending itself by claiming that the number of infant deaths in the hospital was lesser compared to the previous BJP government. “Do they (state Congress government) want to compete on the number of deaths and want to make the figure equal or higher over that (deaths during the previous BJP government). If they want to do so, there’s nothing more unfortunate,” Rathore said while speaking to mediapersons, adding that such deaths should not have occurred.

“We are here with a positive approach and not to politicise the issue,” he said, adding that the fact-finding team would divide its report mainly into two parts—first, on the reasons of deaths of infants and, second, on recommendations and suggestions to check such incidents in future. “It will also have a third part of suggestions and recommendations to improve medical and health facility in the hospital. The report will be send to the Centre to take further steps,” he said.

Rathore demanded state health minister Raghu Sharma to visit Kota within 24 hours and take stock of situation rather than issuing statements in newspapers.

Ex-health minister Kalicharan Saraf claimed that the BJP government brought the infant mortality down from 47 to 38 and mother mortality rate (MMR) from 244 to 186 after it came to power in 2013.

Meanwhile, Congress workers raised protest outside the hospital over the visit of BJP leaders and alleged they were politicising the sensitive issue of kids’ deaths.

