Superintendent shifted over infant deaths at Sishu Bhawan

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Cuttack, Sep 8:

The serial infant deaths at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Post Graduate Institute of Paediatrics (SVPPGIP), popularly known as Sishu Bhawan here, has claimed its first scalp as the Odisha government today transferred the superintendent of the premier referral hospital.

The axe fell on SVPPGIP Superintendent Dr Niranjan Mohanty for the mismanagement and administrative failure in the hospital, sources in the Health department said. Dr Mohanty has been transferred to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Brahmapur.

The state government took the action on the basis of the inquiry report submitted by the high-level technical committee, headed by Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET), the sources said.

“The DMET report has cited that there was no clinical negligence on the part of the hospital staff leading to infant deaths. But it highlighted the shortcomings in the management of intensive care unit (ICU) and duty chart among other things,” Health secretary Arti Ahuja said today.

Besides, the shortcomings in the management and administration of the hospital’s affairs, the top official attributed the infant deaths to distance and criticality of patients coming to the premier government-run paediatric institute.

“The bed-head ticket examined by the probe team found that nearly 80% of the indoor patients came from far off places over 50-60 km away from the childcare unit. Patients are even coming from as far as 200 km from Cuttack. The parents are coming with their infants from distant places like Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, and Bolangir etc. Distance and criticality of the patient were the prime reason behind serial infant deaths,” she added.

A majority of the deceased infants were neonates and the mortality rate is higher among them. Low birth weight and birth asphyxia were among the major reasons behind the high mortality rate in the hospital, she further added quoting the inquiry report.

“We are examining the inquiry report and would definitely take action against the guilty,” she maintained.