Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], September 3 : The second newborn, who was bitten by rats in MY hospital in Indore district, also died on Wednesday afternoon, a day after the first newborn succumbed, an official said.
Two newborns undergoing treatment at MY hospital were bitten by rats on the intervening night Sunday and Monday, and one of them died on Tuesday morning.
"The health condition of the second child was critical, and the child was also suffering from septicemia. Being critical, the condition of the baby deteriorated and died this afternoon around 1 pm. The reason for the death is septicemia. It was a female baby, weighing 1.6kgs and was born nearly 3-4 days ago. The rat has bitten the fingertips of the left hand. There was a small abrasion on the index finger and one other finger. It was not a complete bite, just an abrasion," said Dr Jitendra Verma, Deputy Superintendent of MY Hospital.
Following the incident, the hospital management and administration have taken a strong step and pest control activity is taking place daily. A special meeting of nursing officers and staff was also held, instructing them to immediately inform the pest control agency if any rat-related issue is reported, he added.
Earlier in the day, Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla said that immediate action has been taken over the death of the newborn child at MY hospital, and a high-level committee has been formed to investigate the incident.
He also said that a fine of one lakh has been imposed on the pest control agency, and a notice of termination has been issued. The Deputy CM further added that the nursing superintendent has been removed, two nursing officers have been suspended, and a show-cause notice has been given to the HOD of the Paediatrics Department.
"This is a serious matter, on which immediate action has been taken. Usually, if pest control is done on time, rats would not be present. However, it is clear that pest control was not done. A fine of one lakh has been imposed on the pest control agency, and a notice of termination has been issued. The nursing superintendent has been removed, two nursing officers have been suspended, and a show-cause notice has been given to the HOD of the paediatrics department," he told reporters in Bhopal.
"They (two children) were bitten by rats in the ward, making this negligence clearly visible... A high-level investigation committee has been formed," he added.
He said efforts will be made to ensure that such an incident does not happen again.