NEW DELHI: A new born girl, bitten by rats inside a state-run hospital in Indore, died on Wednesday. The officials said that the infant suffered septicemia or blood poisoning.This death comes barely a day after another newborn, also bitten by rats, passed away. She had been admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Indore’s MY Hospital, where she, along with another infant, was bitten by rats. Hospital authorities attributed her death to fragile health, rather than rat bites. “The child was suffering from congenital anomalies. So, she was very weak. She was undergoing treatment of septicemia,” MGM Medical college dean Dr Arvind Ghanghoria told TOI. He further added that an autopsy had been performed and the report would further establish the cause of death.Doctors said the infant weighed only 1.2 kg at birth, had extremely low haemoglobin, and underdeveloped organs. The administration also disclosed that the baby’s parents had abandoned her after admission and never returned.The incident of rat bites, reported on Saturday and Sunday night, has exposed alarming negligence at one of central India’s largest government hospitals and triggered a swift response from authorities. On Tuesday, the state medical education department issued a show-cause notice to the dean of MGM Medical College, to which MY Hospital is affiliated.In an effort to hold staff accountable, the administration suspended two nurses.The hospital further imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh on its pest control agency, Agile Company, warning that its memorandum of understanding could be cancelled. Superintendent Dr Ashok Yadav was directed to carry out immediate and comprehensive pest control across the facility.Meanwhile, a high-level six-member inquiry panel, comprising senior doctors, has been formed to investigate the incident and submit a report.The case drew the attention of the Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission (MPHRC). Acting chairperson Rajeev Kumar Tandon has taken suo motu cognisance and ordered an inquiry. The commission termed the incident a prima facie violation of human rights and instructed the hospital to file a report on the action taken within a month.
