Infant deaths: WB CM visits children's hospital

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday made an unscheduled visit to B C Roy Children's Hospital in the metropolis where 18 infants died in a span of 48 hours and said she will take up the issue of high infant mortality rate in the state with the Prime Minister.

"40,000 infants die in our state every year. This is shocking. We rank fourth in infant mortality after Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. I will take up the issue with the Prime Minister and the Planning Commission," she said.

"Infant deaths in this hospital is 10 per cent less this year than what it was last year. The doctors and the staff here are doing their best with the existing infrastructure," the chief minister said.

A government inquiry into the death of the babies on Wednesday and Thursday had on Friday said there was no medical negligence but the infrastructure was not up to the mark at the eastern region's largest pediatric referral hospital.

Many of the babies were referred to the hospital with infection, Banerjee said.

"If a baby comes with congestion of the lungs or heart, it is difficult to save them. I saw some children with birth weight as low as 500 to 700 gram, when the minimum weight should be more than 1,500 gram," she said.

Banerjee, who reached the hospital at around 1:30 pm, stayed for about 40 minutes. She visited the wards and spoke to doctors, nurses and guardians of the patients.

Banerjee said the hospital had 300 beds but often had to accommodate 600 patients. The capacity would increase once the new annexe building became operational, she said.

"It is shocking that poor people, including those in the BPL category, are not given financial relief in this hospital. We will see what we can do," she said.

The hospital staff are doing their best under the existing infrastructure, Banerjee said, adding the government will set up another children's hospital in the state.

She mooted an idea of starting an online network to advise pregnant mothers and those with newborn babies on precautions to be taken during pregnancy and for infants. "We will get healthy children only when the mothers are healthy," Banerjee said.

A teleconferencing network should be set up between B C Roy Hospital and district hospitals for emergency treatment, she said.