77 kids dead in Kota’s J K Lon Hospital in december, doctors rule out negligence

KOTA: Seventy-seven children have died in Kota’s J K Lon Hospital in the first 24 days of this month with 10 deaths reported in the last 48 hours.

The hospital, which had formed a committee on Tuesday to investigate the deaths, has ruled out negligence saying resources and equipment were functioning properly.

In its report, the hospital pointed out that the 10 children who died over the last couple of days were extremely critical and on ventilator support. The hospital also claimed that five newborns who died on December 23 and 24 were just a day old and breathed their last within few hours after they were admitted. The report said they were suffering from Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy, a condition in which infant’s brain does not receive enough oxygen, and septicemia.

The report also said a fivemonth-old died on December 23 because of severe pneumonia, while a seven-year-old died of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). The third victim of the day, a one-and-ahalf-month-old, died of complex cyanotic congenital heart disease. Apart from them, a two-month-old succumbed to severe pneumonia with aspiration and another one-and-ahalf-year-old died of seizure disorder with aspiration on December 24.

“After investigating, we have found that all the 10 deaths were normal and did not die because of negligence,” hospital superintendent Dr H L Meena said on Wednesday.

Hospital’s head of the department (paediatrics) Amrit Lal Bairwa said the children were brought in critical condition. “According to national NICU records, 20 per cent deaths of infants are acceptable, whereas the death per cent in Kota is 10-15, which is not alarming as most infants were rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Critical patients come from Bundi, Baran, Jhalawar and also from Madhya Pradesh. One to three infants and newborns die here daily.”