Two dozen deaths in Maharashtra hospital in one day, dean blames shortage of medicines
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Mumbai: Twelve newborns and twelve adults lost their lives within a 24-hour period at a government hospital in Nanded, Maharashtra.
The hospital's dean attributed the tragic situation to a shortage of medicines and a deficit in hospital staff.
Of the 24 deaths recorded during this period, twelve adults were battling various illnesses, with snakebites being a prominent cause, according to the hospital's dean, who expressed the difficulties faced due to staff transfers and increased patient numbers.
The dean emphasised the hospital's role as a tertiary-level care centre, the sole one within a 70 to 80-km radius, necessitating patients from distant areas to seek treatment there. On certain days, the influx of patients strains the hospital's budget.
The dean mentioned the Haffkine Institute as the designated supplier of medicines, which, unfortunately, faced disruptions. Nevertheless, the hospital managed to procure medicines locally and provide them to patients, reported NDTV.
Reacting to the unfortunate deaths, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde assured that inquiries would be made to ascertain the circumstances and appropriate action taken.
Opposition parties in Maharashtra, however, launched a vehement attack on the state government, demanding accountability from the ruling coalition. They criticised the government for a lack of medical facilities, staff shortages, non-functioning equipment, and overcrowded wards.
Former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan expressed his concern about the deaths and called for government intervention to address the situation urgently. Supriya Sule, the daughter of senior politician Sharad Pawar, held the ruling coalition responsible for the tragic loss of lives.
Vikas Lawande, spokesperson of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), also criticised the state government, blaming the deaths on a lack of medicine supplies.
This tragedy follows a similar incident in August when 18 patients lost their lives within 24 hours at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa, Thane. In that instance, the patients suffered from various ailments, including kidney stones, chronic paralysis, ulcers, pneumonia, kerosene poisoning, and septicemia. The deaths prompted authorities to relocate non-critical patients and suspend new admissions at the hospital.