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The shocking case came to light after two infants were attacked by rodents on the night of August 30–31 at a hospital in Indore
Rats inside the NISU of an Indore Hospital | Image: X
An infant who was among the two newborns bitten by rats inside a hospital in Indore succumbed on Tuesday, said the hospital authorities, adding that the cause of death was pneumonia and related complications.
The shocking case came to light after two infants were attacked by rodents on the night of August 30–31 at the Neonatal ICU of Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital (MYH), one of the largest government hospitals in Madhya Pradesh.
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One baby sustained injuries on the hand, while the other was bitten on the shoulder, said the doctors, as the matter sparked widespread outrage, raising serious questions over hygiene and safety standards at the government hospitals.
In the aftermath, the hospital administration removed its nursing superintendent and suspended two staff nurses. The private agency responsible for pest control and sanitation, The Agile Company, has been fined Rs 1 lakh and served a show-cause notice.
Probe Panel Set Up
Dr Arvind Ghanghoria, Dean of Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College (to which MYH is affiliated), admitted safety lapses and confirmed that a high-level committee has been set up to probe the incident.
“There were two infants who suffered rat bites in the Paediatric Surgical Ward. One of them, already critically ill with pneumonia and congenital complications, has passed away. The other child, despite deformities, is now stable,” Dr Ghanghoria said.
He added that rats had only been noticed in the hospital over the past few days, allegedly due to heavy rains and a broken pipeline.
However, staff later disclosed that rodents had been spotted in the ward nearly a week before the incident, but no formal complaint was filed.
“The failure of nursing staff to report rodent sightings in time could have prevented this tragedy,” Dr Ghanghoria acknowledged.
- Location :
Madhya Pradesh, India, India
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