(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The Gujarat government yesterday set up a three-member committee to inquire into death of nine infants in 24 hours at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital.
They were among 18 children who died at the government hospital in the last three days.
'This is a very sad incident and we have already appointed a committee to look into the reasons, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani told reporters here. The committee is expected to to submit its report in a day.
'We will initiate immediate measures to overcome any negligence or lacunae in the treatment found by the panel, the chief minister said, but quickly added: 'But, prima facie, it appears that the case is not about lack of availability of medicines or medical facilities.
Of the nine children who died, four were born in the hospital, while the others were referred to the civil hospital from towns of five districts with 'extremely low birth weight complications.
Some suffered from life-threatening diseases and were in a critical condition, the government said in a statement yesterday.
Five infants, referred from Lunawada (Mahisagar district), Surendranagar (a town in Saurashtra), Mansa (Gandhinagar district), Viramgam (Ahmedabad district) and Himmatnagar (Sabarkantha district), were brought with severe life threatening conditions such as extremely low birth weight (around 1.1kg), hyaline membrane disease, early onset of septicaemia and disseminated intra-vascular coagulation, the statement added.
The four newborns at the civil hospital were stated to have 'died due to lethal complications such as severe birth asphyxia and meconium aspiration. The hospital's medical superintendent Dr M M Prabhakar told reporters late Saturday evening that all the nine infants were under-weight.
Official sources said these nine were among the 18 infants who died in the last three days at the 100-bed neonatal care facility, while the daily average of deaths of newborns at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital is five to six.
The Congress demanded judicial probe into the deaths and asked why the issue did not figure in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's monthly radio programme.
Congress spokesman Jaiveer Shergill claimed the infants died 'due to the non-availability of doctors and demanded the resignation of the chief minister 'due to gross criminal negligence of the state administration and an independent inquiry under the supervision of either the Supreme Court or the high court.
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