Bengaluru: Dubbing it the 'Gorakhpur of Karnataka' could be an over reaction but the death of three infants in a space of two days at the district hospital in Kolar, the home district of none other than the ebullient health minister Ramesh Kumar, has sent shudders down the spine of health professionals.
What's more worrisome is the fact that 36 infants have so far died at the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of the hospital since June 1 this year, a fact confirmed by principal secretary, health department, Dr Shalini Rajaneesh, who however dismissed comparisons to the Gorakhpur tragedy saying there were no cases of encephalitis and no shortage of oxygen.
In Gorakhpur in BJP ruled Uttar Pradesh, at least a hundred infants had died of viral encephalitis at a medical college hospital, unleashing political tremors in that state.
The news of the infant deaths spread fast after a private TV channel claimed that Kolar had become the Gorakhpur of Karnataka! Before it could create ripples in the backward district, till recently known for its gold mines, Dr Shalini Rajaneesh rushed to douse the fire asserting in a statement that the report was far from the truth. According to her, one of the three infants died of a congenital anomaly while the other two succumbed to low birth weight, common among twins and triplets.
"We have four paeditricians working at the hospital, there is no dearth of drugs or equipment. Children born with a congenital anomaly and low birth weight carry the risk of mortality. These cannot be attributed to negligence, at least not without conducting an inquiry," she said.
