Twenty two babies die in Indian hospital

Twenty-two infants have died in three days at a state-run children’s hospital in eastern India, a health official said today.

Nearly 60% of the babies who died were born prematurely and were severely under weight, said M.K. Chatterjee, superintendent of the B.C. Roy Children’s Hospital in Calcutta, in West Bengal state.

“It is very difficult to save such children,” Roy told The Associated Press. “The other babies were suffering from acute meningitis, encephalitis and septicaemia.”

Nine infants died on Thursday, eight on Friday and five on Saturday, Chatterjee said, adding the hospital wasn’t equipped to deal with emergency intensive care for such children.

The Hindustan Times said the West Bengal state government was unable to buy ventilators for the children’s hospital, and that the machines could have saved lives.

But Chatterjee disagreed.

“These deaths are a coincidence. A large number of children in serious condition were referred to our hospital at a late stage,” he said.

Most of the deaths were caused by infections the children caught before they were brought to the hospital, Chatterjee said.

“A number of them were underweight and some suffered from hypothermia owing to change in the weather,” he said.

The state government was investigating the deaths.

“We have set up an inquiry and its findings will come out on Monday,” said Surya Kanta Misra, West Bengal’s health minister, who visited the hospital on Saturday.

Several parents wondered whether to keep their children in the hospital.

“I will wait until Monday. If things don’t improve and more deaths are reported, I will take my son elsewhere,” said Ganapati Biswas.

Overcrowding was also a problem, said Alpana Mondal, whose 6-year-old daughter was being treated. Two to three children were sharing single hospital beds, Mondal said.