16 children dead at BRD Hospital, site of Gorakhpur tragedy
The spate of infant deaths across India continues. This time, the site of tragedy is Gorakhpur's Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Hospital. In 24 hours, 16 children have died. Six were admitted in the pediatric ICU while 10 in the Neonatal ICU. BRD grabbed headlines when over 60 children died in a matter of days in August, allegedly due to disruption in oxygen supply.
According to doctors, the fresh deaths happened not due to lack of treatment or medical negligence, but because the patients were in "very critical condition". Of the 1,470 patients admitted at BRD this year, 310 have died, officials said. As many as 20 patients have been admitted for encephalitis in the last 24 hours.
After the Gorakhpur tragedy in August, reports have emerged about children deaths at different hospitals. The same month, three newborns died in Raipur's BR Ambdekar Hospital in one night. In September, it was reported that Rajasthan's MG Hospital in Banswara saw 90 children's deaths in just two months. These incidents turned the spotlight on dismal conditions in the health sector, particularly in rural areas.
