Guj: 11 newborns die at civil hospital in 36 hrs

Ahmedabad: Eleven newborns have died at the civil hospital here since Friday midnight, prompting the Gujarat government to order a probe into the circumstances and causes of their death.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Sunday visited the hospital and assured action in case the deaths were caused due to negligence or lack of facilities.

Early on Sunday, Rupani met with top Health department officials in Gandhinagar regarding the incident.

The government said in a release that five babies that were brought here from distant places and suffered from "extremely low birth weight" complications, while some experienced from life-threatening diseases and were in a critical condition.

"Of the nine deaths in the 24 hours, five babies were referred from distant places -- Lunawada, Surendranagar, Mansa, Viramgam, Himmatnagar. They were having severe, life-threatening conditions such as extremely low birth weight (around 1.1 kg), hyaline membrane disease, early onset septicaemia and disseminated intravascular coagulation," the release read.

Besides, four babies born at the civil hospital "died due to lethal complications such as severe birth asphyxia and meconium aspiration", it said. Hospital Superintendent M M Prabhakar said two more babies have died on Saturday night, taking the toll to 11 since Friday midnight.

"While a newborn died of cancer, another succumbed to complications arising out of extremely low birth weight," he said.

With this, 20 babies have died in the past three days at the facility, Prabhakar said.

A three-member committee under R K Dixit, Deputy Director of Medical Education, will inquire into the circumstances and causes of death, the release said.

Talking to reporters after visiting the facility, Rupani said, "The government will take action if the deaths are due to lack of facilities or negligence of doctors. We have asked for an investigation into each of the nine cases and will be able to comment after that."