Maharashtra Minister's "ICU Capacity" Explanation For Thane Hospital Deaths

Following the deaths of 18 patients in Thane's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital, Maharashtra Minister Deepak Kesarkar on Sunday said that after the ICU capacity of the hospital has been increased, more patients in critical condition were admitted in the hospital.

"The ICU capacity of this (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital) hospital has been increased and when the capacity is increased critical patients who are at the last stage of their life also get admitted. Doctors try their best to save them...A committee has already been formed to probe...If they are natural deaths and they had come at the last stage then it becomes very difficult for the doctors also...A patient can go to any hospital but in what condition he goes becomes important for the doctor to save him...," Minister Deepak Kesarkar said.

As many as 18 deaths were reported in the last 48 hours in the hospital. Thane Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar said that a committee will be constituted for an impartial investigation into the matter.

"18 deaths have been reported in the last 48 hours. Some of the patients who have died were already receiving treatment for various ailments including chronic kidney disease, pneumonia, kerosene poisoning, road accident and other reasons. I have briefed the CM on these deaths. A committee will be constituted for an impartial investigation into this incident to find out if the patients received optimal treatment," the Municipal Commissioner said.

Meanwhile, relatives of the victims allege inefficiency on the part of the hospital administration adding that there was insufficient doctor capacity considering the huge number of patients.

Confirming the news, the hospital administration said that some patients died as some patients were shifted in critical condition from private hospitals while some were above 80 years of age.

“Since the closure of the civil hospital, all the patients from Thane were brought here. So there is a lack of doctors and medical facilities. The cause of death was different for each patient”, Dr Rakesh Barot, Superintendent, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital, Kalwa said.

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