Over 100 infants died in two government hospitals in Jodhpur in December last year, a report has found amid growing outrage over infant deaths in a Kota hospital.
While a total of 146 children died in Umaid and MDM hospitals in Jodhpur in December, 102 deaths were reported in the Neo natal intensive care unit.
The figures of infant deaths in Jodhpur were given in a report prepared by the S N Medical College in the light of casualties in Kota’s J K Lon Hospital.
Over 100 infants have died in the government-run hospital in Kota.
Principal of the S N Medical College S S Rathore, however, said the figure is in the range of international standards of infant mortality.
“A total of 47,815 children had been admitted to the hospitals in 2019 and of this 754 children died,” said Mr. Rathore.
In December, 4,689 children had been admitted to the hospitals of which 3002 had been admitted to NICU and ICU and 146 of them died.
Rathore said most of the children who died were those referred from other surrounding districts in a critical condition.
The hospitals here have to bear the load of patients from entire Western Rajasthan and children were also referred from hospitals like AIIMS , said Mr. Rathore.
He said the critical care unit of the hospitals have been adjudged best in the entire state for two consecutive years and attributed it to their best practices and care.
Though Mr. Rathore denied any shortage of resources to deal with the pressure at the hospitals, there have been reports that many senior doctors have been running their own private hospitals.
Recently, notices had been served to these doctors including those, who have been running medical shops at their residences.
