Behrampore:
There seems to be no end in sight to the horror of infant deaths in West Bengal. From Malda, which recently witnessed the shocking death of 15 babies within 48 hours at a government hospital, the focus has now shifted to Murshidabad. 10 newborns have died in the last two days in a state-run hospital in Behrampore in the district. This time too, it's the sheer apathy of the administration that has led to the tragedy.
The hospital has just 30 beds but it has admitted 110 children - more than triple the number of cases it can accommodate.
"They have put over four patients in wards which have capacity of not more than two beds...we are bound to have problems," said one of the parents.
Several families have complained about having to sleep on the floor with their babies but authorities plead helplessness.
"We are treating these babies as per the facilities we have. Unless we have better facilities or construct a new building, we will never we be able to meet the demands of patients," said Dr Ananda Kumar Mandal, Deputy Superintendent, Behrampore Sadar Hospital.
The Trinamool-led state government, though, seems to be in a state of denial. It, in fact, patted itself on the back for a fall in the infant mortality rate - by two deaths per 1000 - in the state.
"There has been a three per cent drop in the child mortality rate in the last eight months in the state when the new government took over,'' minister of state for health Chandrima Bhattacharya said. Quoting data of the Union Health Ministry, she further added that West Bengal now ranked 15th in child mortality rate all
over the country.
But the opposition Left insists that the figures presented by the minister are for 2010-2011, thus turning them into their achievement.
As political parties squabble over statistics, the infrastructure of hospitals across the state remains in a shambles, even as more lives are put at risk.