Kota infant deaths toll rises to 103 in a month; JK Lon Hospital says no negligence by staff

Kota city, in Rajasthan, was rocked by the death of 12 infants in last week of December 2019 in JK Lon Hospital. Since then, the death toll of newborns in the same hospital has risen to 103, till January 2.

According to a report by the superintendent of JK Lon Hospital, a total of 940 death cases were registered in the same hospital in the year 2019.

The reports of spate of infants' death in this government hospital has sparked a political debate between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and other political leaders.

According to State Health Secretary Vaibhav Galriya, the reason of the deaths was systematic and infrastructural deficiencies. For instance, inadequate supply of oxygen to the hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, an infection-prone wards and inadequate upkeep of vital medical equipment led to such an alarming situation at JK Lon hospital.

Recently, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPR) found broken windows and gates, pigs inside the hospital campus and acute shortage of staff during inspection of the hospital.

The JK Lon Hospital has described the deaths of infants as 'not an usual trend'. Hospital superintendent H L Meena said the deaths were normal and none of the infant died because of negligence by the hospital.

Dr Amrit Lal Bairwa, the head of hospital's Pediatrics Department, said at least one to three children die daily at the hospital as it a referral hospital where kids are brought in severe and critical conditions from adjoining districts and other cities in Madhya Pradesh.

Dr Bairwa said, "According to the national Neonatal Intensive Care Unit records, 20 per cent deaths of infants are acceptable, whereas the death percent in Kota is 10-15 per cent which is not at all alarming as most of the infants were rushed to the hospital in severe critical conditions".

The alarming deaths in the Kota hospital has erupted a political storm among the parties. BJP MP and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said it is important for the governments at the Centre and in Rajasthan to work together to stop such incidents. Birla, who is MP from Kota, said he has requested Congress-led Rajasthan government in the state to send a proposal to the Centre in order to deal with the issue.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, as well as BSP chief Mayawati attacked the state government in Rajasthan over the deaths. Adityanath took a jibe at Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, saying that she should have gone there to console the children's mothers instead of 'playing politics' in UP. BSP supremo Mayawati questioned the Congress general secretary over her "silence" on the deaths. Adityanath had also asked the central government to send a team of specialists to Kota to figure out how to stop such incidents.

Meanwhile, on Friday, SP leader Akshilesh Yadav attacked Adityanath for commenting on the deaths. He reminded the UP CM about 'Gorakhpur incident' and said, "Yogi Adityanath is worried about Kota deaths. When will he be worried about the Gorakhpur deaths?"

Yadav revealed that the ailing children in Gorakhpur were suffering from encephalitis but were administered different medicines so that the truth does not come out.

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