After sterilisation tragedy, Bilaspur shocked by 14 infant deaths; hospital gets Govt's clean chit

Raipur, Dec 16: Nearly a month after Bilaspur witnessed botched sterilisation surgeries, which claimed the lives of 13 women, the area is now shocked by the death of over a dozen infants.

As many as 14 cribs died in the Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS), a government hospital where the victims of botched sterilisation camp were also treated, since Dec 1.

The families who lost their newly born babies are devastated. They are even blaming the hospital staff for their loss.

As per an NDTV report, the family members hospitalised their kids after their health deteriorated. The family members claimed that the hospital staff did not allow them to see their infants. They even accused the hospital staff of being careless and started pressurising them to leave hospital as soon as the babies died.

Reportedly, Chhattisgarh Health Minister Amar Agrawal, who is facing flak ever since the sterilisation tragedy in November, has given the hospital a clean chit to the hospital.

"The divisional collector and I investigated the infant deaths in Bilaspur. The doctors are not at fault and proper medical treatment was given to the infants," Agrawal was quoted by the report as saying.

This development has once again given a chance to the opposition to demand the health minister's resignation. Raising suspicion over the Bilaspur-based hospital leader of Opposition in Chhattisgarh Assembly, TS Singhdeo, said there are 17 districts in the state why haven't infant deaths been reported from this particular district.

Earlier last month, at least 13 women died and over 130 women had fallen ill after botched sterilisation surgeries which took place at two separate government medical camps in the district. The United Nations (UN) has expressed concern over the deaths of women in a futile sterilisation programme on Nov 8.

OneIndia News