Maharashtra Hospital, Where 31 Died, Had Just 3 Nurses For 60 Babies: Congress Leader

More than 60 infants were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the government hospital in Maharashtra's Nanded city where 31 patients died in a span of 48 hours a few days ago, but there were only three nurses to take care of the babies, Congress leader and former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said on Tuesday.

One warmer was used to treat three babies at a time and the Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital's NICU had just three nurses, said the MLA from Bhokar in Nanded district.

Mr Chavan was speaking to the media after attending a party meeting here in central Maharashtra.

"When I visited the (NICU) ward after the incident (of 24 patients dying in a single day and 7 more in the next 24 hours) in the government-run hospital (in Nanded), I saw one warmer being used to treat three infants at a time. Just three nurses were taking care of more than 60 infants in the ward," he said.

Mr Chavan said the hospital, named after his late father, has more patients than its capacity.

"It is a 500-bed hospital, but more than 1,000 patients are admitted there. It is a fact that the facility was short on medicines and posts of doctors were also vacant. We have given 40 to 50 nurses to the hospital from our side. The government says they will fill up the vacancies. But till then what should be done?" Chavan asked.

After multiple deaths at the hospital in late September and early October, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had said there was no shortage of medicines at the state-run health facility.

"We don't want to engage in a blame game here, but work should be done," Mr Chavan added.

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