Mumbai: As reports came in that the toll had crossed 24 in a Nanded civil hospital, the opposition parties came out together to attack the Eknath Shinde-led coalition government in Maharashtra and sought the resignation of the health minister.
Twenty-four deaths, including that of 12 infants, were reported between 30 September and 1 October at Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital (SCGMCH)
in Nanded.
Congress leader Ashok Chavan, Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar were among the opposition voices who expressed shock and demanded accountability from the state government.
Chavan, in fact, claimed that the toll was up to 31 in 48 hours with seven more deaths. The former chief minister tweeted that four children were among the dead and urged the state government to fix responsibility.
On Tuesday, Pawar said that it was “very unfortunate that the administration did not wake up even when yesterday’s incident was fresh”. The NCP chief also mentioned about the deaths of eight patients, including two newborns, in an Aurangabad hospital.
नांदेड येथील शासकीय रुग्णालयात २४ तासात १२ नवजात बालकांसह २४ रुग्णांचा मृत्यू होण्याच्या दुर्दैवी घटनेला एक दिवस होत नाही, तितक्यातच औरंगाबाद येथील घाटी रुग्णालयात २ नवजात बालकांसह ८ रुग्णांचा मृत्यू झाल्याची घटना शासकीय आरोग्य व्यवस्थेला काळीमा फासणारी आहे. कालची घटना ताजी…
— Sharad Pawar (@PawarSpeaks) October 3, 2023
His daughter Supriya Sule attacked the state government, saying that the “triple engine sarkar is a murderer”. “Last time, the same thing happened in Thane, now in Nanded, and we are hearing there is a medical shortage in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar as well. The CM should seek resignation of the health minister,” the Lok Sabha MP said.
Raut, too, demanded the resignation of the health minister over the loss of lives. “The government is only interested in property dealings, foreign tours, and horse trading of MLAs. I just want to state that if some humanity remains (in the administration), then the CM should take the resignation of the health minister,” the Shiv Sena UBT leader said.
Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, and Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi also questioned the Maharashtra government and raised concerns over the alarming number of deaths.
नांदेड़, महाराष्ट्र के सरकारी अस्पताल में दवाइयों की कमी से 12 नवजात शिशुओं समेत 24 लोगों की मृत्यु का समाचार अत्यंत दुखद है। सभी शोकाकुल परिवारों को अपनी गहरी संवेदनाएं व्यक्त करता हूं।
भाजपा सरकार हज़ारों करोड़ रुपए अपने प्रचार पर खर्च कर देती है, मगर बच्चों की दवाइयों के लिए…
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 2, 2023
दवाओं की कमी के चलते महाराष्ट्र में 12 शिशुओं समेत 24 मरीजों की मौत का दुखद समाचार प्राप्त हुआ।
ईश्वर दिवंगत आत्माओं को शांति प्रदान करें। शोक-संतप्त परिवारों के प्रति मेरी गहरी संवेदनाएं।
जिम्मेदार लोगों पर सख्त कार्रवाई हो और पीड़ित परिवारों को मुआवजा दिया जाये।
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) October 2, 2023
This is not the first such instance of a state-run hospital reporting a high number of deaths in a single day. In August, 18 people died at the Thane Municipal Corporation-run Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial (CSMM) Hospital in Kalwa. A committee was formed to probe the matter, but the report is still awaited.
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Hospital overburdened?
After the reports of deaths, officials explained that the Nande hospital receives a heavy crowd of patients from neighbouring districts.
“In recent days, more critical patients, especially those in terminal stages, have been arriving from districts and other areas. The dedicated medical team and staff are diligently attending to their needs. This medical college and hospital have a longstanding history of providing excellent services to the community, and all admitted patients are receiving the necessary care,” reads the statement from the hospital released Monday.
ThePrint contacted SCGMCH dean but the official refused to comment while the Ghati Hospital in Sambhajinagar was not available for statement.
According to the SCGMCH statement, 12 adults and as many infants died in 24 hours, higher than the average daily death toll of approximately 10 reported each day at the hospital. ThePrint has a copy of the statement.
“The hospital has a supply of vital medications, and for the ongoing fiscal year, it received Rs 12 crore in funding, with an extra Rs 4 crore granted,” it added.
On Tuesday, Maharashtra Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif conceded that there were some issues under scrutiny.
“The issue of housekeeping is very serious, we have taken that seriously… They still have Rs 4-5 crore. Why didn’t they purchase medicines? Our committee will give an answer… We will bring medical college staff here. There is no issue of funding. But why didn’t they purchase medicines on time; we will investigate this,” Mushrif told the media at the hospital.
He asserted that there was no shortage of medicine at the Nanded hospital. “We have given permission to the dean to procure 40 percent of medicine (stocks). There’s no shortage of money as well. Then why was the medicine not procured on time?” he said.
Nanded MP and Shiv Sena leader Hemant Patil, too, reached the hospital to check the existing conditions there. “None of the toilet blocks have water. They are not cleaned for four-five months. The nearby drainage is overflowing. The cleaning department has 260 employees… There’s dirt and unhygienic conditions everywhere. I am going to speak to the CM and demand action against them,” Patil told the media after ‘inspecting’ the Nanded government hospital
Earlier, Nanded MLA Ashok Chavan had alleged that the situation in the hospital was “alarming”.
“The hospital is facing a financial crisis due to non-technical approval of funds received from DPDC (District Planning Development Committee). Contracts for maintenance of CT scan and other equipment were not paid. Due to this, the maintenance of the respective service providers has been stopped and many equipment have been shut down. This is not the time for politics. So, I will not jump to any conclusions today. After the investigation, it will be clear whose fault it is…,” the Congress leader had said Monday.
This is an updated version of the report
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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