With as many as 15 new born babies dying at Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS) in December so far, the hospital authorities have expressed helplessness citing reasons like premature and pre-term births besides low birth weight for the deaths.
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the hospital is being shifted into a new unit and the deaths are probably due to disarrangement in the process of shifting, sources said.
Dean of CIMS Dr SK Mohanty acknowledged the death of 14 newborns and said, “Twelve babies were referred from different districts and private hospitals. Their condition was very critical and could not be saved despite efforts made by CIMS.”
Dr Mohanty said that the hospital has Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with capacity of 10 beds in each. But November - December being months with maximum deliveries, the hospital received 56 patients which is beyond the capacity of these units.
Although Dr Mohanty acknowledged that the NICU is being shifted but said that the old NICU is still functioning and the patients are being treated properly with help of available life support machines and expert teams. Sources said that after continuous deaths and allegations, the NICU of the hospital was completely sterilised but the deaths could not be checked.
Dr Mohanty said that the mortality rate of preterm and premature babies is 100 percent in first week and reduced to 50 percent in second week, and to 37 percent in third and fourth week. Since most of the cases are referral cases and that too in critical condition, the chances of survival is reduced further in such neonatal. “Deaths of premature and preterm neonatal is often reported and usual in hospitals despite best efforts made by the doctors,” added Dr Mohanty.