Infants' deaths at Shahdol: report says doctors not to blame

Inquiry into the death of 11 infants in the span of eight days at Shahdol district hospital found that doctors were not at fault, Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Prabhuram Choudhary said on Saturday.

Inquiry into the death of 11 infants in the span of eight days at Shahdol district hospital found that doctors were not at fault, Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Prabhuram Choudhary said on Saturday. The infants had been admitted to the Sick Newborn Care Unit and Paediatric Intensive Care Unit of the hospital. The oldest baby was seven months old while the youngest was only two days old.

The deaths took place between November 27 and December 4, officials said. The latest death of a 40-day-old infant from the tribal-dominated Dindori district was recorded on December 4. The state government had ordered an inquiry by medical experts, but their report held that the doctors at the hospital were not at fault, Choudhary told reporters in Bhopal.

The causes of death included pneumonia, premature birth, or late admission into the hospital, the minister added. Health facilities are being ramped up in Shahdol, he said.