Three newborns, all male, died at the Government Vellore Medical College Hospital on Wednesday owing to birth complications and infections. One died because of multiple congenital anomalies. The cause of death of the two others was extreme pre-term birth and bad child-rearing practices, doctors said.
E. Theranirajan, head of the department of Paediatrics, GVMCH, said the baby of Thilagavathy was admitted to the government hospital at Tirupattur after it was born pre-term. It was discharged on the seventh day and re-admitted on the 25th day (November 18).
“The baby had recurrent apnea (cessation of breathing) and one episode of fits at the hospital. It developed late onset of sepsis and was referred to the GVMCH on November 19. We received the baby with mask and ventilator and treated him at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for seven days,” he said. The baby developed septicaemia and then meningitis.
The baby of Venda was born at the GVMCH with multiple congenital anomalies, including renal problems. It died in eight hours of birth. A 15-day-old baby was referred from the government hospital at Tiruvannamalai to the GVMCH with septicaemia.
“This was due to bad child-rearing practices such as blowing into the nose or mouth of the baby. The baby had suffered a cardiac arrest and was referred to us at the last stage,” he said.
Doctors revived it and put him on ventilator for 30 hours. However, he developed severe sepsis and died.
Anaicut MLA M. Kalaiarasu, who visited the GVMCH on Thursday, said the newborns died because of complications. “The NICU at the GVMCH is fully equipped. Doctors and staff are providing good care to the newborns. The deaths are not due to lack of facilities,” he said.