Rajasthan: Infant death toll in Kota's JK Lon Hospital rises to 110
Jaipur, Jan 05: At least eight more infants have died in the last two days of December at the JK Lon hospital here, taking the death toll to 100 for the month, officials said on Wednesday.
The death of 8 children at the government-run hospital during a 48-hour period on December 23-24 had triggered opposition criticism and a visit by a team from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
Four children died on December 30 while five on December 31, all mainly due to low birth weight, hospital superintendent Dr Suresh Dulara said.
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Hospital authorities, however, said the number of deaths reported at the health facility in 2019 has witnessed decline since 2014 when 1,198 children died.
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The nursing in-charge of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which specialises in looking after premature and sick newborns, has been replaced, Dr Dulara said.
Efforts for upgradation and maintenance of equipment at the hospital have been put in place, following directions by the Congress government in the state.
Medical
College
Principal
Dr
Vijay
Sardana
said
order
has
been
issued
for
installation
of
central
oxygen
supply
line
at
the
hospital
and
the
work
would
be
completed
within
the
next
15
days.
The
direction
was
issued
a
day
after
a
BJP
parliamentary
team
comprising
of
MPs
Locket
Chatterjee,
Kanta
Kardam
and
Jaskaur
Meena
visited
the
hospital
and
expressed
concern
over
its
infrastructure.
The
panel
had
said
that
two
to
three
children
were
found
on
single
beds
and
the
hospital
did
not
have
enough
nurses.
Dr
Sardana
said
the
pediatric
department
at
the
health
facility
has
been
reconstructed,
with
its
three
units
being
functional
in
Jay
Kay
Lon
hospital
and
a
non-
teaching
unit
working
in
New
Medical
College
premises.
He said proposals for new OPD and emergency wards for pediatric and gynaecology departments have been incorporated in the proposed OPD Block under the Smart City Project.
Earlier, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had served a show-cause notice to the state government.
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"Pigs were found roaming inside the campus of the hospital," its chairperson Priyank Kanoongo had said.
A Rajasthan government committee ruled that the infants were given the right treatment.