Mumbai: The death toll in the Nanded government hospital rose to 35 in 48 hours. The state government on Tuesday dispatched two senior ministers including medical education minister Hasan Mushrif and rural development minister Girish Mahajan to Nanded. The issue was also discussed in a cabinet meeting.
Chief minister Eknath ordered an inquiry into the incident. Mr. Shinde said that those found guilty would not be spared. However, he also denied that the deaths happened because of lack of medicines or doctors.
Between September 30 and October 1, 24 patients including 12 infants had died at the Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital in Nanded. According to officials, 11 more patients including four infants died in the last 24 hours i.e. between October 1 and October 2.
In a tweet, a senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan claimed that 35 patients including 16 infants have been killed in the last 48 hours in his district Nanded.
Mr. Mushrif and Mr. Mahajan held a meeting with the doctors along with local public representatives including Congress leader Ashok Chavan in Nanded over this tragic incident. Mr. Chavan said that they have apprised the ministers regarding issues of the hospital along with immediate and long-term solutions. He also said that the medical education minister has informed them that “35 patients including 15 infants died in the hospital”.
A senior official said that they have directed the district officials through the medicine department to procure all the necessary medicines, which are not available in the hospital’s stock.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said that the Eknath Shinde government does not seem to have learned any lessons from the deaths in the Kalwa government hospital in Thane two months ago. After Thane, more than 30 patients died in 48 hours in the Nanded hospital and eight people, including two newborns, died in 24 hours at the Ghati Hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. “It has once again become evident that the state government is utterly indifferent and thick-skinned. It's deeply troubling that these deaths are occurring due to a lack of medicines,” Mr. Patole said.
The Congress leader also demanded that a case should be registered against the government under section 302 of IPC.
Meanwhile, Hemant Patil, MP from Nanded’s neighbouring Hingoli Lok Sabha seat, visited the hospital in Nanded. When he spotted a filthy toilet, he asked Dean Shyamrao Wakode to clean it. A video that has gone viral shows Dean Wakode cleaning the toilet with a wiper while Patil was spraying water into the toilet.
While the state government is still dealing with the Nanded incident, eight patients, including two infants reportedly died in 24 hours in Sambhajinagar’s Ghati Hospital.
Taking to X (formerly twitter), Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said that the state’s health system has collapsed under the Shinde government. “They did not understand the gravity of the situation. They should not be in power and run the government in Maharashtra,” the Sena leader said.
However, dean of the government medical college and hospital at Sambhajinagar, Dr. Sanjay Rathod, said that there was no major disparity between the number of deaths and total number of admissions. Around 200 patients, including those in critical condition, are admitted to the hospital every day, he said.
The chief minister said after taking preliminary information in the Nanded incident, he found that there was no shortage of medicines in the hospital and there is sufficient availability of doctors and staff. "Despite this, such an incident has happened...it is a serious matter. Therefore, the deaths in Nanded will be investigated. If anyone is found guilty, action will be taken against him," Mr. Shinde said.
