West Bengal: Shifted Due To Inadequate Medical Facilities, 10 Underweight Newborns Die At Murshidabad Hospital

In the past 24 hours, at least 10 newborn babies lost their lives at Murshidabad Medical College Hospital in West Bengal, Times of India reported.

These infants, primarily underweight, were transferred from the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) at Jangipur Sub-Divisional Hospital to Murshidabad Medical College due to inadequate facilities, as per ANI reports.

Professor Amit Dan, the Principal of Murshidabad Medical College Hospital, explained that the patients were relocated from Jangipur Sub-Divisional Hospital due to ongoing Public Works Department (PWD) activities.

He stated, "We have formed an inquiry committee. All the children who were brought here were already underweight and subsequently died. It was difficult to save them as it took 5-6 hours to transport them to this hospital. We are constituting a team to probe this..."

Officials noted that the sudden surge in patients placed additional strain on the already burdened medical college. Das mentioned that, based on a preliminary inquiry, most of the infants were malnourished and weighed between 300-500 grams.

"One among them had a severe heart problem from birth. We do not have the facility to treat him here, and we did not have the time to transport him to a facility for treatment," said Das.

To investigate the incident, a medical board consisting of eminent doctors has been established. The state health department issued a statement, assuring that necessary measures would be taken to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies.