In 24 hours, 9 newborns die in Odisha hospital -Ajit Nayak & Ashok Pradhan

SAMBALPUR/BHUBANESWAR: Wails of bereaved mothers filled the wards and corridors of VSS medical College and Hospital on Saturday as nine babies died at the hospital in the past 22 hours. While hospital authorities attributed the deaths to a host of reasons, locals put the blame on long uncontrolled exposure to light therapy at the sick newborn care unit (SNCU).

"The high number of deaths is shocking. But the cause of death was different for each child," said hospital's medical superintendent Dr L K Dash. He said eight of the nine children were referred cases, all brought to the hospital in critical conditions.

Doctors said five babies died of birth asphyxia (in which oxygen supply to brain is impaired due to problems during delivery), two others, including one born in the hospital, perished because of low birth weight and two died of septicaemia (infections).

Medical experts said overexposure to light therapy can have serious side effects, but rarely causes death.

The state government has ordered a probe into the crib deaths. "A two-member inquiry committee has been formed to probe into the deaths and suggest remedial measures. Details will be known after the inquiry," health secretary Pradipta Mohapatra said. The committee comprises director, medical education and training, Dr Sunamali Bag and director of Sishubhawan (paediatric hospital at Cuttack) Dr Niranjan Parida to probe the matter. "We will leave for Burla shortly," Bag said.

Parents, meanwhile, were in a state of shock and yet to comprehend why so many infants died within such a short span of time. "I fail to understand the cause of so many deaths. It is very difficult for a layman to pinpoint the cause," said Chamapadala Bhoi, a resident of Duanpali village under Sohela police station in Bargarh district. His newborn son, referred from Bargarh district headquarters hospital with abdominal swelling, died on Friday night.

BJP and Congress were quick to seize the issue. They staged a protest alleging negligence on the part of the government. "The infants were killed as the hospital exposed them to too much heat during light therapy," alleged Sambalpur town Congress president Jay Shankar Mishra.

Doctors, however, denied any negligence on their part. "The deaths are unfortunate and the high number is a coincidence. But there was no negligence. They were all critical," said head of paediatric department Dr S K Murmu. Rubbishing the allegation that the newborns died of suffocation due to high temperature at photo therapy units, he said there was no connection of light therapy with the deaths.

The casualties were highly unusual compared to the hospital's previous record. The 24-bed SNCU, on an average, reports one death daily. Of the 134 babies admitted to the SNCU in June, 33 died, according to information supplied by the hospital to National Rural Health Mission's state office.