Tribal family accuses Indore hospital of negligence after newborn dies from rat bites

Protestors demand Rs 1 crore compensation and FIR against senior hospital officials as probe continues into the deaths of two newborns allegedly bitten by rats in government ICU.

Indore: The father of a newborn girl who died after being bitten by rats at the government-run Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital (MYH) here on Saturday accused the authorities of gross negligence.

A tribal outfit also staged a protest for nearly six hours at the hospital over the infant's death. The Dhar-based family of the newborn finally agreed to claim her body in the evening after authorities provided financial aid of Rs 5 lakh.

Two newborn girls who had been bitten by rats in the ICU died in the hospital recently, raising questions about the institution's functioning. Devram, the father of one of the girls and member of a tribal community who lives in neighbouring Dhar, said, "I admitted my newborn daughter to the ICU at MYH. The staff told us to go home and assured us they would inform us over phone about her health."

"We waited for two days, but received no call. Later we learnt that she had died after being bitten by rats," he told reporters. The infant had been admitted to the hospital due to a congenital defect that left her without anal opening, Devram said.

"The ICU is supposed to be secure. How could rats enter and bite newborns? My daughter died because of the negligence of the hospital administration. We want justice.

Senior officials must be suspended," he demanded. The hospital had claimed that the parents had abandoned the infant in an "unclaimed condition". Responding to Devram's allegations, Dr Arvind Ghanghoria, Dean of the MGM Medical College attached to the hospital, said, "Parents of children admitted in our ICU stay close at hand. (In this case) The police and our staff tried to locate the infant's parents, but failed."

"The two babies did not die due to rat bites. They succumbed to severe congenital anomalies. Even in the best hospitals worldwide, such babies could not have been saved. A high-level committee probe will establish this," he added.

Meanwhile, Jai Adivasi Yuva Shakti functionaries staged a protest at the hospital with the bereaved parents seeking compensation of Rs 1 crore each for the families of the two infants as well as registration of a culpable homicide case against senior officials.

"The district administration has assured us the necessary steps will be taken to suspend senior officials of MYH and register an FIR against them. if this demand is not fulfilled within 10 days, another protest will be staged by us at MYH," JAYS national president Lokesh Mujalda said.

The hospital administration has so far taken disciplinary action against six officials, including suspension and removal from posts, in connection with the deaths.