Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], September 6 : Parents of one of the newborns who died at MY hospital in Indore after being allegedly bitten by rats, along with Jai Adivasi Yuva Sangathan (JAYS), staged a sit-in outside the hospital on Saturday, demanding legal action against the individuals responsible for the alleged negligence and compensation.
Two newborns undergoing treatment at MY hospital were bitten by rats on the intervening night Sunday and Monday (Sep 1), and one of them died on Tuesday (Sep 2) morning, while another child also succumbed on Wednesday afternoon (Sep 3).
The parents of the first child claimed that after admitting their baby, they were asked to leave with the assurance that they would receive updates over the phone. However, they alleged that no call was made, and they only became aware of the incident when JAYS workers and reporters contacted them.
Following a day-long protest, the Indore district administration handed over a cheque of Rs 5 lakh as compensation to the family on Saturday evening and assured further action. The child's father, Dev Ram, received the cheque and expressed satisfaction with the administration's assurance. The family later took the body to Dhar for the last rites.

JAYS' president Lokesh Mujalda said, "We came to know about the news that two newborns died at Indore hospital after being bitten by rats. A family member of one child was in the hospital while another child was declared abandoned. Still, as soon as we came to know that the child was a resident of Dhar district and belonged to a tribal community, we requested the collector that we would find the family member of the child last night. After that, we succeeded in finding the family and arrived here with them at the hospital today."
"We demand that the dean, HOD and superintendent of the hospital should be immediately suspended so that such negligence should not occur anywhere. Additionally, a compensation of Rs 1 crore should be given to the family of each child. The post-mortem report of the child should also be made public. If our demands are not met, then we will not accept the body of the child," he said.
He further highlighted that they had been searching for the parents for the last three days and had requested the Collector to keep the body safe until the family was found.

Father of the child, Dev Ram, said, "The Child was born last Saturday (August 30) in Dhar district, and then the baby was referred here at MY Hospital in Indore. We got the child admitted to the NICU ward in the hospital. A madam asked me to leave and said that she would call me for further updates. But I did not receive any call. I was not informed about any mishap. When these brothers (JAYS workers) and journalists arrived, I then became aware of the issue. We want legal action to be taken against the concerned people for negligence."
Meanwhile, the dean of the hospital, Arvind Ghanghoriya, stated that strict action was taken in the matter, and the concerned individuals were suspended, as well as show-cause notices were served. Additionally, a high-level investigation into the matter is also underway.
"Following the incident, a deputy superintendent rank doctor, Dr Mukesh Jaiswal, has been suspended, and three nursing officers have been suspended. Additionally, the superintendent of MY hospital, Dr Ashok Yadav, the HOD, Dr Brijesh Lahoti, the assistant HOD and the senior nurse, who is in charge of the ICU, have been served a show-cause notice. We have taken strict action on the matter. We have also written a letter to the state government requesting the termination of the contracts of pest control agencies, and a process for this purpose is underway. A new agency has been hired and pest control is being done regularly," Ghanghoriya said.
When asked why the hospital management did not inform the family about the incident, the dean seemed to be avoiding the question and said that the child was on the verge of death and such a child could not be saved in any hospital across the world. A high-level inquiry was also underway into the matter.