SASARAM: A 3-day-old baby died in the special newborn care unit (SNCU) while the parents of at least three others shifted their kids from Sadar hospital here in Rohtas district on Wednesday morning due to defunct airconditioners (ACs) and fans in this hot and humid weather condition. The trauma centre of the same hospital was in news three days back for its doctors performing surgery on a person with gunshot injury in the flashlight of their cellphones.
Parents alleged that the child died as non of the 10 ACs or even ceiling fans was functioning. The parents were forced to shift their three newborn babies and leave against medical advice (LAMA) to private nursing homes on Wednesday. The hospital's SNCU in-charge, Dr Dilip Kumar, confirmed this. Civil surgeon in-charge Dr Ashok Kumar Singh said mechanics were summoned for repairing the ACs and fans.
The sources said 9 out of the 10 ACs have been lying defunct for the last many months and the remaining single AC and ceiling fans also went kaput on Tuesday. The parents of 19 babies admitted there created an uproarious scene outside the ward. Hospital manager Sanjeev Madhukar and its deputy superintendent Dr Bhagwan Singh assured the agitating attendants to get the problem rectified very soon. But on Wednesday morning, the 3-day-old baby of one Pushapa Devi of Bishaini Kala under Akorhi Gola block of the district died, allegedly due to lack of AC or fan in the SNCU.
A paramedical staff of the hospital, preferring anonymity, said the warmers (a basic required equipment for SNCU) had to be shut down due to non-functional ACs and fans, which caused high fever to many babies admitted there. After the death, three babies had to be shifted against medical advice to private nursing homes while other parents left their babies to the mercy of God and due to financial problems, rued a man outside the ward.
The ward, inaugurated with much fanfare last year, also lacks essential items like cotton, feeding tubes intra cath, section tubes and flued for the last six months. Repeated requisitions to the authorities concerned failed to get desired result, said the hospital manager.
It is learnt that after the video clip related to treatment of a person with gunshot injury in mobile phone's lights, Rohtas DM had visited the hospital and formed a committee to fix the responsibility for the mismanagement.
