3 kids share one bed in Kota's JK Lon hospital: BJP

It's not an unusual sight to see two to three ailing kids sharing one bed in Kota's JK Lon hospital even in the ICU. While these innocent kids fight for space and clean air to breathe in, their mothers stand beside them helplessly with no nurse seen around, a top BJP leader has claimed.

The Kota hospital made news albeit for all the wrong reasons as 77 children died in December alone, while 10 kids died within 48 hours last week.

Hospital sources confirmed that over 60 per cent equipment in the essential and life saving categories was not functional.

Such is the apathy that no official cares to even take note of the fact that some of the equipment could be made up and running again with just the help of a small piece of wire costing Rs 2.

As a result, many nebulisers, warmers and ventilators are non functional. The officials concerned have reported the matter but to no avail.

Also, 14 samples collected to check infection in the hospital have tested positive. These culture tests help in assessing the bacteria spread. Despite this report being submitted to the officials, proving the spread of a large number of bacteria, no action was taken.

"Why should the state government machinery not be blamed in this perspective?" asked Rajasthan BJP president Satish Poonia who conducted a "surprise inspection" of the hospital on Sunday.

Speaking to , he said: "I saw two to three kids lying on each bed with their mothers standing at the side of each bed to look after them. Clearly, there were no precautions being taken to check the spread of infection.

"Also, there was no cleanliness in and around. A woman, it seemed, was waiting for me to pour her heart out. She took me inside the ICU and showed me an open window which had no window panes due to which the cold air from outside was making its way... just a thin green curtain was there to block the air," he said.

"Surprisingly, there was no nurse seen around these kids' ward," he said adding that this woman who had her kid admitted in the same ward also showed him the ground beyond this broken window which had heaps of dirt and garbage lying around.

This hospital that came up in 1973 is in a dilapidated condition awaiting the attention of the concerned officials, he said.

The deaths of innocent kids have been politicised, with politics being played on their toll numbers by Congress ministers, he said.

Earlier, soon after the deaths of the children were reported, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had claimed that the death of over 900 kids was the lowest toll reported in the last six years in this hospital.

Later, his minister for health Raghu Sharma also counted the deaths over the years, saying that 1,198 kids died in 2014; 1,260 kids died in 2015; 1,193 kids died in 2016, and 1,027 kids died in 2017, and 1,005 kids died in 2018.

Hospital sources claimed that state UDH minister Shanti Dhariwal has his residence situated within 100 metres of this hospital.

"He being the MLA of this constituency should have visited this hospital at least once but he maintained a distance from this issue," Poonia said.

Even health minister Sharma hasn't visited this hospital even once ever since this news came out. What is the reason for the health minister not making a visit, asked Poonia.

Reverting to politics being played on the number of deaths, Poonia said "it needs to be stopped".

"Hence, BJP sent a team to monitor the situation on Monday which included former ministers Rajendra Rathore and Kalicharan Saraf," the BJP leader said.

However, when they tried to go inside the hospital, they were stopped by the police.

Speaking on the issue, Rathore said: "Congress workers tried to stop us from entering the hospital as they wanted to cover up the lacunae persisting inside the hospital."

He added that it might be possible that there were challenges during the BJP tenure too, but politics need not be played on the death toll. "We shall take this matter to the Governor through state BJP president Poonia," he said.

( With inputs from IANS )