Nanded deaths: Just 3 nurses to take care of 60 babies at govt hospital, says Ashok Chavan

Only three nurses were assigned to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the government hospital in Nanded, Maharashtra, where 31 patients died in a span of 48 hours a few days ago, Congress leader and former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said. One warmer was used to treat three babies at a time and the Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital's NICU had just three nurses, said the MLA from Bhokar in Nanded district.

When I visited the (NICU) ward after the incident (of 24 patients dying in a single day and 7 more in the next 24 hours) in the government-run hospital (in Nanded), I saw one warmer being used to treat three infants at a time. Just three nurses were taking care of more than 60 infants in the ward, he said.

It is a 500-bed hospital, but more than 1,000 patients are admitted there. It is a fact that the facility was short on medicines and posts of doctors were also vacant. We have given 40 to 50 nurses to the hospital from our side. The government says they will fill up the vacancies. But till then what should be done? Chavan asked.