Mysuru: Infant mortality is back to haunt the State-run Cheluvamba Hospital as over 9 newborn babies have died since Sept. 1, in a span of 23 days. In the last 48 hours alone, three babies, all born prematurely, died within two hours after delivery.
While inconsolable parents alleged that their babies died due to medical negligence, hospital authorities said that all the babies died due to medical complications and have ruled out lapse on their part.
Hospital sources said among the babies who died since Sept. 21 were two boys and a girl. While the youngest baby was 22 hours old after birth, the oldest was 22 days old.
One of the babies that died belonged to Santhosh and Savya from Mandya and it was a Caesarean delivery. Santhosh alleged that his baby died due to negligence and said that he was sent multiple times to private laboratories by doctors at Cheluvamba to conduct many tests and despite this, the baby died. He said that he has written to Hospital Medical Superintendent seeking an investigation into his baby’s death.
According to doctors, the 22-hour-old baby died due to umbilical cord prolapse, a relatively rare condition and occurs in less than 1% of pregnancies. The condition occurs when the umbilical cord comes out of the uterus with or before the presenting part of the foetus. The 22-day-old baby died due to intestinal complications. Though the baby was looking healthy and weighed 2.3 kg, it could not survive the intestinal complications, doctors said.
Denying that medical negligence has caused the deaths, Medical Superintendent of Cheluvamba Hospital S. Radhamani said that though it was a fact that 9 children died from Sept. 1 till date, none of the deaths were caused due to medical apathy. “All the babies who died were premature and two of them (babies that died in the last 48 hours) weighed only 1 kg to 1.7 kg. Added to premature birth, the babies had health complications,” she told Star of Mysore this morning.
“Every day, the hospital records a birth rate of 20 to 30. Since last week or so, there were 23 babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. There is no wrongdoing on our part and I have checked all the records and line of treatment. We have followed standard treatment procedure and there is no scarcity of doctors,” she added.
During its erstwhile days dating 1950’s and 1960’s Cheluvamba Hospital was the only beacon where Medical profession was practiced in earnest with their excellent hands on to future Citizens of Mysore taking birth. Renowned Doctors have permanently kept their foot prints many of whom are remembered even today for their noble work of excellence with Technology available then. There was only one requirement that was considered called “Merit” and nothing else.whether a factory bound rush to admissions with callous lack of empathy with materialistic world of luxury and comforts have taken over this noble profession? Looks like Moms are scary enough to sacrifice their innocent children at the hands of “Doctors” Is there some administration looking into this or left to vagaries of natural collapse? May be there are more Medical colleges than population causing this disarray and aberrations not excluding abortions!