Death of newborns: Indore hospital continues to tackle rats even as officials downplay menace

Indore: The rat menace in Madhya Pradesh government-run Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital (MYH) in Indore has once again come to the fore following the death of two newborn girls at the facility, with some stakeholders decrying the state of affairs despite several crore rupees getting spent on pest control and cleanliness.

Rats bit the fingers of one newborn in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the 75-year-old facility, which is among the biggest in MP, while another was bit on the head and shoulder. One of the infants died on Tuesday, while the other passed away on Wednesday, officials said.

In 1994, after the plague outbreak in Gujarat's Surat, MYH was fully evacuated for a few days in a drive under then Indore District Magistrate Sudhi Ranjan Mohanty, who later became the state's chief secretary, that saw the elimination of 12000 rats, an official said on Friday.

In 2014, a similar campaign at MYH under then Indore Divisional Commissioner (Revenue) Sanjay Dubey saw around 2500 rats being killed, he added.

"Contact with infected rats can spread various diseases in humans, the most prominent among them being rat-bite fever and plague. Some diseases can also spread through rat urine, faeces, saliva, hair or fleas or ticks found on them," veterinarian Dr Narendra Chauhan told PTI.

However, MYH authorities are quick to point out that the two newborn girls died of serious pre-existing health problems and congenital deformities rather than rat bites.

Dr Brajesh Lahoti, head of MYH's paediatric surgery department, who is facing charges of negligence in duty, emphasised rat bites cannot cause the death of a human being.

"In villages, rats keep coming out while farmers are working in their fields. Sometimes we (doctors) are also bitten by rats while on duty here in the hospital or elsewhere," the senior doctor pointed out.

The MYH administration, on its part, has asked the state government to blacklist the private firm which has been contracted to provide manpower for cleaning, security, pest control and data entry processes.

Officials said the firm, which receives several crore rupees from the government for these services, has been fined Rs 1 lakh in connection with the episode.

MYH officials also blamed food items brought by attendants of patients for the proliferation of rats.

"The administration has asked attendants of patients not to bring food items from outside to the hospital. A helpline number has also been issued to inform if rats, cockroaches and bedbugs etc are seen in the hospital," an official said.

Amulya Nidhi, convener of NGO 'Jan Swasthya Abhiyan Madhya Pradesh', however, alleged the MYH administration was trying to escape responsibility with such statements.

"The two newborn girls who died during treatment at MYH were bitten by rats in the ICU, which is considered extremely safe and where breast-feeding babies are admitted. Attendants of patients are not allowed to enter the ICU. The MYH administration has full responsibility for the safety of the ICU," Nidhi said.

The deaths of the newborns are serious violation of child rights, infection-control protocols and hospital safety standards, he said.

On the complaint of Nidhi on behalf of 'Jan Swasthya Abhiyan Madhya Pradesh', the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) issued a notice to the District Magistrate and has sought an action taken report (ATR) within three days.

The MYH management has so far taken disciplinary action against six officials, including suspension and removal from the post, in connection with the two deaths.

Incidentally, this is not the first case of rats attacking newborns in MYH.

In 2021, rats nibbled the heel of a child in the nursery (where newborns are kept for care).

Officials said, during the rat elimination campaign in 2014, it was estimated there were 8,000 rat burrows on the MYH campus.

Eyewitnesses said burrows can be seen even now, adding that rats enter the facility when the burrows fill up with rainwater.

The junk lying in the old building of the hospital also provides a suitable place for rats to home in, they said.