No let up in Cuttack Sishu Bhavan infant deaths; toll 49

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Cuttack, Aug 29:

The infant death toll at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Post Graduate Institute of Paediatrics (SVPGIP), better known as Sishu Bhavan, in Odisha’s Cuttack city went up to 49 with the death of seven more infants today.

Of the seven infants, a four-year-old boy of Kamakhyanagar in Dhenkanal district, admitted to ICU bed no-4 for treatment of kidney infection, died late on Friday night and a three-day-old infant of Puri, admitted to ICU bed no-17, died in the wee hours today while two infants of Duburi and Jharka area in Jajpur district and one each from Odagan area of Nayagarh district, Kakatpur area of Puri district and Gobindpur area of Ganjam district died later in the day.

Meanwhile, a 7-member Central team led by additional secretary of the Union Health and Family Welfare ministry Arun Panda and three specialist doctors arrived at Sishu Bhavan today to look into the existing infrastructure and healthcare services. It would also examine whether there is any infection in the ICU unit and whether the hospital authorities are properly monitoring medical waste disposal.

It may be mentioned that Union Petroleum and Natural Gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan had met Union Health Minister JP Nadda in New Delhi on Thursday and discussed the spate of deaths in Sishu Bhavan. Upon his request, the Union minister had agreed to send a team to Sishu Bhavan for an on-the-spot investigation.

“The Centre needs to look into the issues and problems in Sishu Bhawan. I will visit Sishu Bhavan today while the Union Health minister has agreed to send a Central Health team to review the situation in the premiere referral hospital in the state. The visit of the team will reveal the steps taken by the state government and the steps that need to be taken to ensure that such unfortunate don ‘t occur in future,” Pradhan had told the media in New Delhi yesterday.