18 dead in 24 hours at civic hospital in Mumbai’s suburbs | India News – Times of India
The high mortality in the stronghold of CM Eknath Shinde’s Thane district triggered a political drama from the opposition parties on Sunday, prompting the civic administration to announce a high-level inquiry into the deaths by the directorate of health services. Eight of the patients were brought in a critical condition.
Nearly 70% of the victims were over 50 years of age. Thirteen of the deaths occurred in the ICU, triggering rumours there was a fault with the oxygen lines—a charge the hospital denied. Last Friday, some political activists had tried to stage a protest outside the hospital alleging six deaths occurred due to medical negligence there in a day.
Shinde told TOI action would be taken against those responsible for the tragedy after the inquiry committee submits its report. “This is an unfortunate incident and we have taken it very seriously. We know patients were admitted on different days. Many were referred from private hospitals after their condition became critical. We have the facts and now await a detailed analysis,” the CM said.
Public health minister Tanaji Sawant said the report would be submitted in two days, but local officials said it would take 15 days. “A report has been sought to check if there was any negligence on the part of the dean. This will only be clear once the report is submitted. Action will be taken with approval from the CM,” Sawant said.
Thane municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar told reporters there was no common condition or problems among the patients. “These patients had complications of kidney stones, chronic paralysis, ulcer, pneumonia, kerosene poisoning, septicaemia etc.”
The deceased included 10 women and eight men of which six were from Thane city, four from Kalyan, three from Shahapur, two from Mumbai, one each from Bhiwandi and Ulhasnagar while one patient is unidentified. Doctors said the hospital was overcrowded due to the temporary shifting of the other public hospital, the Thane Civil Hospital, to a different address.
“The civil hospital has not been shut down, it has only been temporarily relocated. Around half of the 336 beds there are lying vacant. I have asked officials to publicise the same so that patients don’t crowd here,’’ said education minister Deepak Kesarkar, who was sent on a fire-fighting mission to the Kalwa hospital.
Kalwa’s hospital’s medical superintendent Dr Aniruddha Malgaonkar said some patients came in at a critical stage and succumbed during treatment. He denied possibilities of infection in the ICU. However, relatives claimed their patients were not getting adequate attention due to shortage of staff. Bangar dismissed these claims, saying that 500 staff from Covid teams were shifted here and additional nursing staff also appointed.
