16 Infants Among 35 Dead at Indian Hospital in a Span of 48 Hours

The hospital’s dean said the deaths were a result of the patients’ existing medical conditions and illness, but others allege negligence.

India's national flag held during a rally in Ram Lila Ground in New Delhi on Dec. 27, 2011. Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Getty Images

At least 35 people, including 16 infants, have died at a state-run hospital in the Indian state of Maharashtra within 48 hours, leading to allegations of possible negligence on the part of the state government.

The Shankarrao Chavan Government Hospital in the Nanded district initially reported 24 deaths on Oct. 1, with 12 of them being newborns. The death toll rose to 35 on Oct. 2, according to local reports.

Local media said the patients died of various medical conditions, with most of them being elderly people with heart disease, underweight infants, and accident victims.

“My brother’s one-day-old infant died on Sunday at the hospital, and he was the fifth baby to die. We saw four more babies die in front of us,” Yogesh Solanki, whose family brought the baby to the hospital, told Reuters.

Mr. Solanki said the neonatal unit of the hospital, where the infants were being treated, was very crowded on Sunday, with four to five babies in a single incubator that was designed to hold just one.

Opposition politicians have accused the Maharashtra government, run by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party and an ally, of gross negligence over the deaths of the infants at the hospital.

Eknath Shinde, chief minister of Maharashtra, said that action will be taken against the responsible parties but denied any shortages of staff and medicine at the hospital. He did not specify the possible repercussions.

“The deaths are unfortunate. We have taken the incident very seriously. An inquiry has been ordered, and action will be taken appropriately,” Mr. Shinde said on Oct. 4, according to Times Now.

‘Proper Care’ Given to Patients

Shyamrao Wakode, the dean of Shankarrao Chavan Hospital, said the deaths were due to various ailments, with some succumbing to snake bites. He said the hospital had been giving “proper care” to patients.

“There was no shortage of medicines or doctors. Proper care was provided to the patients, but their bodies did not respond to the treatment, which caused deaths,” he told ANI News on Tuesday.

Mr. Wakode said the hospital had staff transfers, and there was supposed to be a procurement of medicines from the Haffkine Institute, although he did not elaborate on why this did not occur.

“Also, patients come from far off to this hospital, and there were many patients whose sanctioned budget also got disturbed,” he added.

The recent deaths were the second such episode in Maharashtra in months. In August, 18 people admitted to a state-run hospital in the Thane region died over a 24-hour period, local media reported. The state government has ordered an investigation into the incident.

India’s public health care system is woefully ill-equipped, plagued by a dearth of staff and equipment. The doctor-to-patient ratio is 0.7 per 1,000, according to the World Health Organization, which recommends a level of 1 per 1,000.

Hospital Dean Forced to Clean Toilet

Outraged by the situation, member of parliament Hemant Patil said he had punished the hospital dean by making him clean the toilet. He noted that the hospital had similar incidents in the past.

“Earlier, 13 children had died in the hospital due to dengue. ... I have asked Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to conduct an inquiry. These people are very corrupt,” he told reporters.

A video shared by local media shows Mr. Patil ordering Mr. Wakode to clean the toilets. Mr. Patil said the toilets had not been cleaned for months despite the government spending millions on the hospital.

Mr. Wakode later filed a formal complaint against Mr. Patil for defamation and obstruction of duty, according to local reports.