Five more infants die in Sishu Bhavan; toll reaches 35

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Cuttack, Aug 27:

The infant death toll at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Post Graduate Institute of Paediatrics, better known as Sishu Bhavan, in Odisha’s Cuttack city went up to 35 today.

Sources in the hospital said two infant boys died late on Wednesday night while three infants including a girl died this morning.

Of the two infant boys, one belongs to Badamba area and the other belongs to Salepur area in Cuttack district while the infant girl who died today hailed from Arua village in Chandikhole area of Jajpur district. The two other infants hail from Rajkanika and Tinimuhani areas in Kendrapara district.

The two infant boys were admitted in the ICU of the new ward while the infant girl was under treatment in the general ward of Sishu Bhavan.

Following a written complaints by the parents of the deceased infants, the Health department today asked the head of the Surgery department of Sishu Bhavan to probe into the incident.

Meanwhile, an inquiry committee, led by the Director, Medical Education and Training (DMET) Prakash Chandra Mohapatra, which began investigation into the spate of infant deaths in the premier children’s hospital yesterday, will submit its report to the state government in 10 days.

The inquiry committee has a senior paediatric specialist of AIIMS, Bhubaneswar as an expert member.

“We had an on-the-spot investigation. We visited each ward and examined the beds where the infants had died. We now examining the admission tickets and other documents,” said Dr Siddharth Das, principal, SCB Medical College and Hospital, one of the members of the committee.