West Bengal's Malda Medical College and Hospital is now under scrutiny after 60 newborn deaths were reported during the first three weeks of August with 10 deaths reported on the same day. The state health department wants a detailed report from the hospital to look into how the deaths occurred and whether treatment or referral procedures were wrong.
The 10 deaths took place on August 12, hospital officials said. The problem was soon under more scrutiny after the state health department reviewed data uploaded by the medical college. And now officials are investigating the circumstances of the care provided at Malda Medical College for critically ill newborns taken from other hospitals, nursing homes and healthcare centres.
The hospital administration has maintained that the infants who died were brought to the medical college in critical condition. Of the 10 newborns who died on August 12, eight had been born at other government hospitals or private nursing homes before being sent to Malda Medical College after their health deteriorated. Only two of the infants had been born at Malda Medical College itself.
Medical Superintendent and Vice Principal Dr Prasenjit Bar said the newborns were suffering from serious medical complications. Hospital officials said four of the infants had congenital heart disease and two were in serious respiratory distress. Meanwhile, the other four had other critical medical problems that required specialized neonatal care.
The figures have prompted the health department to broaden its scrutiny beyond the medical college. Medical records, referral documents and treatment histories are expected to be reviewed to determine the babies’ condition when they came to Malda Medical College and how they received treatment afterward.
The inquiry will also examine hospitals and nursing homes that referred the newborns. This is significant because a lot of the infants had initially received treatment elsewhere before being transferred to the tertiary-care hospital. Authorities will also look at whether referrals were made at the right time and whether there was sufficient neonatal care in the facilities where the babies were sent.
A preliminary report has been submitted to the authorities, while Malda Medical College is preparing a complete report for Swasthya Bhawan. The detailed report will be available to inform the medical condition of each infant, treatment provided, referral timing and circumstances of deaths.
The development comes as maternal and child healthcare has come under increased scrutiny in many parts of India. Rajasthan has witnessed a number of cases of mothers dying and concerns over treatment at government and private healthcare facilities.
In July, the National Human Rights Commission took suo motu cognisance of reports that eight women and a minor died within a week after undergoing surgeries at government hospitals in Bhilwara and Banswara in Rajasthan. The commission sought a report from the Rajasthan government on the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Other incidents have also raised concerns in Rajasthan this month. In Alwar, the state health department cancelled the licence of a private hospital after an inquiry revealed that a nursing staff member conducted a delivery without the presence of a qualified doctor and the mother subsequently died. In Kota, a woman died during childbirth at the JK Lon Hospital and family members said doctors failed to treat her. Hospital authorities denied the allegations.
In this context, the Malda deaths have raised new questions about neonatal healthcare, emergency referrals and hospitals’ capacity to cope with high-risk newborn cases. But the number of deaths doesn’t mean there was negligence, with hospital officials saying that many of the infants arrived in critical condition with serious underlying medical complications.
The Bengal health department’s investigation is therefore expected to be very important regarding whether the deaths were primarily linked to the medical conditions of the infants or whether deficiencies in treatment, referral practices, infrastructure or staffing contributed to the fatalities.
The state authorities will have to see all the medical records before making any conclusion. The Malda Medical College's report will be very important for the fuller picture to be made of what took place and whether corrective measures should be implemented at Malda and the referring healthcare facilities.
