Mysuru: Three infants have died at Cheluvamba children’s and maternity hospital here on the same day on Thursday raising serious questions over health standards at the hospital.
The three kids, including new-born twins - a male and female - and another male child, were kept in the Neonatal intensive care unit.
Another body of an unidentified new-born male too was found abandoned near the compound gate of Cheluvamba hospital Thursday morning.
The parents of the male child, Shobha and Guruswamy, natives of Doddakanya village, staged a protest with the body at the hospital premises.
The resident medical officer (RMO) of Cheluvamba Hospital, Dr Manjunath, when contacted said that the twins were born on Wednesday. They were born with low birth weight. While one of the child was just 700 grams, another weighed 1000 grams.
While one child died Wednesday night, another died Thursday morning. Yet another male child who suffered from birth asphyxia, was born on March 27 and died at 12.30 pm on Thursday. Hospital sources said they were not aware of the abandoned baby’s body found near the hospital.
According to the resident medical officer, the hospital has enough doctors and equipment but lacks adequate nurses and paramedical staff. While there should be one nurse for every two children, there is only one nurse for every 15 children, he said. Devaraja Police have registered a case about the abandoned baby.
A committee was formed recently to probe cases of infant mortality at Cheluvamba hospital. According to the report which arrived recently, medical negligence cannot be held responsible for infant mortality cases reported at the hospital, which is attached to Mysuru Medical College and Research Institute.
The report said infant mortality reported at the hospital was only due to late referrals with complications which could not be treated, said hospital sources.
