It is extremely shocking to learn that 100 infants are reported to have been dead in Kota in Rajasthan though the reasons for the death are still eluding the authorities concerned. The Centre on Thursday dispatched a high-level team to probe the death. Meanwhile, Congress President Sonia Gandhi summoned the party’s state in-charge to Delhi over the issue and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot sent a detailed report to her.
With the death toll of infants was mounting, the state government constituted an inquiry committee to probe the death of infants. This committee submitted its report to the government after investigation on December 30. In this report, hospital administration and doctors have been given a virtual clean chit.
The committee in its investigation has found that the death of infants was not due to lack of treatment, but cold. However, the committee noted that oxygen is usually provided in the ICU through cylinders, while oxygen must be delivered through pipelines. Carrying the cylinder back and forth increases the risk of infection. The committee also found that over 70 children were being treated in 53 beds of the ICU in JK Lon Hospital, which could cause infection.
JK Lon Maternal and Child Hospital and New Medical College Hospital in Kota, Rajasthan is a government-run hospital, which claims to have specialty in treating children. Between December 23 and 24, 2019, as many as 10 children died in this hospital. Five of these were newborns, while the rest were less than two years old.
It may be recalled that the series of deaths of children have been going on in this hospital for a month. But when 10 children died together, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan swung into action and gave a statement, which was termed as ‘insensitive’ by the social media and the Opposition.
It is worth noting that the health service infrastructures at the primary level in Rajasthan are not satisfactory. Besides, people do not go to hospitals in far-flung areas, many deaths occur at home. However, nowadays, people have started reaching the hospital gradually. If such deaths are to be prevented in the state, people have to be provided better services at the ground level, as patients often reach large hospitals late.
The state government admitted that some of the incubators at the hospital used for newborns were not in proper working condition. Coupled with this, the extreme cold has made it tougher for babies survive their illness.
In the deeper analysis of the problem, it can be seen that people especially villagers in the state are illiterate in the health matters and they often are hesitant to go to hospital to take medical aid for the illness. They want to rely on traditional medicine for their primary health and fatalities happen when they even keep trying this traditional medicine on the dying. This situation must be changed and people have to be given awareness about health and sanitation. The government must focus its attention on providing basic infrastructure to the people. Once the infrastructural facilities start coming to the villages, people will start living as per the rest of the world where all that is needed for a decent living.
