Medical tragedy in Gorakhpur
DH News Service, Aug 14 2017, 1:19 IST
The utter callousness of authorities in Uttar Pradesh has resulted in the death of over 70 children at a government hospital in Gorakhpur. These deaths occurred over a span of six days. Several of the victims were new-borns in the neonatal ward. While a formal probe is yet to be done, initial investigations reveal that the children died due to a shortage of oxygen, an allegation that the UP government and authorities at the Baba Raghav Das Hospital have denied. It appears that the gas company supplying oxygen to the hospital stopped doing so because BRD Hospital had failed to clear bills of over Rs 68 lakh that were pending for months. Some reports say that the vendor’s contract with the hospital had ended in March. The result of this major lapse on the part of hospital authorities is that patients were denied oxygen. Several of the children were reportedly suffering from lung infections, others had been diagnosed with Japanese encephalitis. They all needed continuous supply of oxygen.
DH News Service, Aug 14 2017, 1:19 IST
The utter callousness of authorities in Uttar Pradesh has resulted in the death of over 70 children at a government hospital in Gorakhpur. These deaths occurred over a span of six days. Several of the victims were new-borns in the neonatal ward. While a formal probe is yet to be done, initial investigations reveal that the children died due to a shortage of oxygen, an allegation that the UP government and authorities at the Baba Raghav Das Hospital have denied. It appears that the gas company supplying oxygen to the hospital stopped doing so because BRD Hospital had failed to clear bills of over Rs 68 lakh that were pending for months. Some reports say that the vendor’s contract with the hospital had ended in March. The result of this major lapse on the part of hospital authorities is that patients were denied oxygen. Several of the children were reportedly suffering from lung infections, others had been diagnosed with Japanese encephalitis. They all needed continuous supply of oxygen.
But BRD Hospital was not in a position to provide them with this basic, yet critical, facility. It is shocking that the hospital management did not act even after several people, including its employees, had raised red flags over the dipping liquid oxygen levels in the plant. A Comptroller and Auditor-General Report in June had drawn attention to the state of affairs at this hospital. It pointed out that there was a 27% shortage of clinical equipment and 56% shortfall in non-clinical equipment against the minimum requirement prescribed by the Medical Council of India. Incidentally, the hospital was not suffering due to a lack of funds. So, why was payment to the oxygen supplier withheld?
The UP government has ordered a magisterial probe into the tragedy. But will anything substantial come of it? Or will it be yet another attempt to cover up the critical and multiple crises that grip India’s public healthcare system? At BRD Hospital, important evidence has already been destroyed. It appears that post-mortems were not conducted. Parents of the deceased children were made to take away the bodies immediately. All this will hinder efforts at establishing the cause of the children’s death.
The tragedy unfolding in Gorakhpur is not new. Similar tragedies occur at government-run hospitals and primary healthcare centres across the country. Patients are denied basic treatment. Lab attendants conduct surgeries because doctors don’t show up. Patients share ward space with stray dogs. Undoubtedly, India’s public healthcare system is in a grave crisis. Hopefully the probe into the Gorakhpur tragedy will throw full light on what ails the system.
The UP government has ordered a magisterial probe into the tragedy. But will anything substantial come of it? Or will it be yet another attempt to cover up the critical and multiple crises that grip India’s public healthcare system? At BRD Hospital, important evidence has already been destroyed. It appears that post-mortems were not conducted. Parents of the deceased children were made to take away the bodies immediately. All this will hinder efforts at establishing the cause of the children’s death.
The tragedy unfolding in Gorakhpur is not new. Similar tragedies occur at government-run hospitals and primary healthcare centres across the country. Patients are denied basic treatment. Lab attendants conduct surgeries because doctors don’t show up. Patients share ward space with stray dogs. Undoubtedly, India’s public healthcare system is in a grave crisis. Hopefully the probe into the Gorakhpur tragedy will throw full light on what ails the system.
