No end to Kolkata hospital tragedy: Six infants dead

The tragedy of crib deaths at Malda Medical College Hospital continued on Thursday as six more infants were reported dead at the state-run facility. 

According to hospital sources, four of the six dead were newborns and the other two were two-year-old. 

Confirming the deaths, hospital superintendent and college vice-principal M A Rashid told reporters that while one of the six infants was already undergoing treatment at the hospital, the rest were admitted in critical condition earlier this week. 

He claimed that all six infants were underweight and were suffering from breathing problems and infection.

The hospital, which caters to the north Bengal districts as well as neighbouring Bihar, has witnessed crib deaths several times in the past and as many as 16 infants died there in a span of 16 hours till January 2. While hospital authorities denied complaints of medical negligence, they claimed that the deaths are mostly taking place due to extreme cold in the region over the last few days.

The hospital superintendent had said on January 2 that while 75 infants were undergoing treatment at the hospital, most of them suffered from low birth weight and various kinds of infection.

“Severe chill in the weather and lack of proper protection from the winter are also behind the newborns being infected with diseases and developing breathing troubles. Most of the patients who came from the villages are already in bad shape, in most case beyond our control,” a senior hospital official said.