Srinagar:
The Jammu and Kashmir government has transferred the Medical Superintendent of the GB Pant Hospital, where 44 babies have died in the last two weeks. The action comes after a preliminary probe found the hospital allegedly lacking in manpower, equipment and overall management.
"As an administrative measure, immediately Dr Javed Chawdhary, who is the Medical Superintendent Incharge of the Hospital, is being attached with Medical Education department," M K Dwivedi, Commissioner-Secretary of Health and Medical Education, told reporters.
According to Mr Dwivedi, a total of 324 infants have died in the hospital since January 1 this year - 85 in April, 105 in March, 66 in February and 68 in January this year.
The official said the preliminary probe by Dr Showkat Zargar, director of the prestigious Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Soura (SKIMS), found that the Hospital lacked in "capacity on many fronts".
"Dr Zargar has pointed out that the Hospital is lacking in capacity on many fronts like manpower, equipment and overall management of the services rendered by the hospital," Mr Dwivedi said.
There were protests in Srinagar over the alarming number of infant deaths after which the state government had ordered an investigation into the matter.
Leading the protests against the government outside the GB Pant Hospital on Thursday was Engineer Rashid, an Independent MLA from north Kashmir's Langate constituency. Mr Rashid slammed the government over alleged lack of basic amenities at the hospital and urged the Chief Minister to intervene.
"We want the government to reply. For 1,700 patients, the hospital has just three ventilators. On Friday, I will lodge an FIR (first information report) against the doctors in connection with the deaths," he said. "It is nothing short of a mass murder," he added.
(
With PTI inputs)