Extremely alarming information has emerged from the Siwani district hospital in Madhya Pradesh: 46 infants died in the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of the district government hospital over the last three months, causing panic throughout the medical department.
According to available data, between July 1 and September 30, 592 children were hospitalized in the SNCU, of whom 46 passed away. This means one child died daily. If considering a longer period—from April 1 to September 30—the total number of newborns who died in the SNCU reached 80.
Despite official statements and existing systems, families who lost loved ones are in deep grief. The victims claim that their children's deaths occurred due to the absence of timely and proper treatment, as well as neglect by doctors.
Manish Varakde, father of one of the deceased children from Dungria, recounted that he hospitalized his wife on July 12-13, but no one paid attention. Two days passed, only one injection was administered, and nothing was reported. When water started leaking from her abdomen, a nurse advised her to keep her stomach pressed down. After three days, they first attempted natural delivery, and then performed surgery. The baby weighed about 3 kilograms, but its heart was hardened. Doctors stated that since the baby was not crying, the chances of survival were low, and it was placed in the intensive care unit, where it died.
Sanjay Uyke from Jawarkati shared his experience: on September 7, they brought his wife to a doctor who diagnosed dehydration. After treatment, when bleeding started, she was hospitalized. She was first taken to Barghat and then referred to Siwani. Shortly after admission to Siwani, natural delivery took place. The doctor noted that the pulse was weak, and the baby would require mechanical support. The baby remained on the machine for 4-5 days, was then transferred to another machine, and died within a few hours. The delivery occurred at seven months, and the baby weighed 1.6 kilograms.
Given the seriousness of the situation, local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Dinesh Rai suddenly inspected the SNCU at the district hospital and severely criticized the working style and staff shortage among the attending doctors. The MLA stated his intention to file a complaint regarding this matter, escalating it from the district collector level to the Chief Minister level.
On the other hand, the chief medical officer of the district hospital, Dr. Vinod Kumar Naukar, attributed the causes of death to the severe condition and low weight of the children. Dr. Vinod Kumar Naukar explained that children admitted to the SNCU come from remote rural areas. Often, these are babies born at six or seventh-eighth months of pregnancy who suffer from asphyxia. He added that SNCUs are established in every district to treat critically ill newborns, and such infants do not stay there for more than a month, and the mortality rate among them is high.
According to WHO and the Indian government, a baby's birth weight should be one and a half kilograms; however, due to premature births, infant weight decreases, and the mortality rate reaches 48 percent. Over the last six months, 1188 infants were treated, 642 of whom weighed less than normal, and 60 of them could not be saved. Although the recommended mortality rate by WHO and the government is 10 percent, it is 7.5 percent in this facility, which is lower than in other districts of Jabalpur district.
Furthermore, one of the reasons is that the district hospital is affiliated with the Siwani Medical College. The chief medical officer noted that the duty roster for specialists from the Pediatrics department of the Medical College has not been prepared, and if the college doctors start working here, the system will improve.
Despite the hospital administration calming fears by citing a low mortality rate, the fact that 46 infants died in three months reveals systemic problems in healthcare, despite the presence of modern medical equipment and the declared presence of specialists.