A total of 24 patients including 12 infants died at a government hospital in Maharashtra’s Nanded in a time span of 24 hours. Adding to the Nanded tragedy, ten patients, including two infants have reportedly died in 24 hours in Sambhajinagar’s Ghati Hospital.
On the 24 deaths, Dr Wakode, the Dean of Doctor Shanakarrao Chavan Hospital, Nanded said six male and female infants have died in the last 24 hours, adding that 12 adults died due to various ailments like snake bites, phosphorous poisoning etc.
“People do come here from far-off areas. We usually get emergency and extremely critical cases in this hospital as there is no hospital available like us in the periphery of 70-80km. Due to transfers of various staff, there was some difficulty for us…we were supposed to buy medicines from Halfkin Institute but that also didn’t happen,” Wakode said pointing at the tertiary-level status of the hospital.
Dr Shyamrao Wakode of the government medical college said that transfer of various staffs were an obstacle in procuring of medicines from the Haffkine Institute, adding that patience come from far off to the hospital and for many of them their sanctioned budgets were also disturbed.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that he will seek more information on the incident, adding that, appropriate action will be taken in this regard.
Dr Dilip Mhaisekar, Director of Medical Education and Research, Maharashtra, informed that a three-member expert committee from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) — formed to probe the matter — is to submit a report of its probe by 1 pm on Tuesday. Mhaisekar added that he is personally visiting the hospital the review the matter