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JAIPUR: Kota collector has defended the government-run J K Lon Hospital where 77 kids have died in this month so far. Since 2014, more than 1,000 children have been dying in the hospital every year.

District collector Om Prakash Kasera said, “Investigation into the deaths of 10 children, who died in two days (December 23 and December 24), has found that they were brought to the hospital in critical condition after being referred from other hospitals in nearby districts,” he said.

In 2014, as many as 1,198 children lost their lives while undergoing treatment in the hospital. In 2015, the number of deaths of children increased to 1,260. A year later, 1,193 kids lost their lives while undergoing treatment in the hospital. The hospital reported 1,027 deaths in 2017 and 1,005 in 2018. Till December 24 this year, the number of deaths of children have touched 940.

The hospital, however, claimed that there was no negligence in the treatment of children. The hospital pointed out that doctors remain present round-the-clock in paediatric ICU and neonatal ICU to attend critically ill children.

The hospital claimed that its NICU ranking, issued by the National Health Mission on a monthly basis by assessing quality of services, secured better position compared to Sawai Man Singh Medical College in Jaipur.

