Bihar: Tej Pratap orders probe into infant's death

Patna, Dec 2: A five-day-old infant died at the Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) here following which Bihar Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav has ordered a departmental probe into the matter.

"I took up the matter with senior officers of the health department and ordered an inquiry into the death of the child at NMCH," the minister told reporters as he emerged from the Legislative Assembly.

The family of the deceased child -- which hails from the Raghopur Assembly constituency represented by Tej Pratap's brother and Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav -- has alleged that the death on Monday night was caused by the lack of ventilator support at NMCH.

A three-member team of the Bihar Human Rights Commission (BHRC) had yesterday visited NMCH here to enquire about the incident involving the child of Sanoj Das of Raghopur.

The health minister, who is the elder son of RJD President Lalu Prasad, meanwhile, also said that he has ordered a crackdown on the sale of fake medicines in the state.

He said he has issued a strong direction for going after "touts" in Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) who hoodwink hapless patients into turning to private clinics of the doctors posted in the state's premier hospital.

"You must be reading in newspapers about the impact of my orders against touts and the sale of fake medicines in PMCH," he said when asked as to how effective had his orders been.

PTI