Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has taken a suo-moto cognisance of untimely death of 19 children from diphtheria disease in a span of 12 days has issued a notice to Maharishi Valmiki Infectious Disease Hospital. “It was reported that children died because of unavailability of anti-diphtheria vaccine in the hospital despite the hospital being a specialist center for the disease. It was also reported that patients were being forced to purchase injections from outside,” DCW spokesperson stated in the official release.
DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal said, “I am deeply disturbed with the reports of deaths of little children in the Hospital. We wish to ensure that no more deaths occur and to fix responsibility for this tremendous loss.”
In light of the reports, the Commission has asked the hospital to provide information regarding recent deaths due to Diphtheria, stocks of vaccines and medicines, number of staffs and beds allocated, steps taken to streamline referrals from the Hospital to other Government Hospitals, steps being taken to ensure that simple procedures like tracheotomy are undertaken within the Hospital itself to deal with the crisis.
The Commission has also asked the hospital if it is self sufficient in dealing with cases of Diphtheria and if they have communicated about shortage of vaccines in the past with North Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). They have asked for details of senior functionaries of the North MCD who have visited the patients affected by Diphtheria in September 2018 and/or taken stock of the crisis.
DCW has asked for detailed information to assist their enquiry such as number of diphtheria patients and deaths since 2013, number of sanctioned posts as well as present strength of doctors, nurses and other medical staff working in the Hospital shift-wise per year since 2013, details of procurement of vaccine since 2013, details of day-wise shortage of vaccines, if any, since 2013, reasons for non-availability of adequate number of vaccines in the hospital in September 2018 and reasons for lack of Operation Theatres and ICU as well as other requisites for dealing with the disease in the hospital.