Mumbai, Oct 4 (IANS): In a significant development, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of the unusually high number of deaths in government-run hospitals in Nanded and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts of Maharashtra.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyay and Justice Arif Doctor, taking cognisance of a letter written by a lawyer named Mohit Khanna, said that deaths due to shortage of staff or medicines cannot go on.

Khanna in his letter has cited "the extra-ordinary events" of 31 deaths including 16 infants (now gone to 35) at Dr. Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College, Nanded, and 18 deaths at the Government Medical College & Hospital, Ghati in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, between September 30 and October 3, raising concerns on the health of the people of the state.

He also brought up the earlier incident at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Government Hospital in mid-August when 18 patients died in less than 24 hours in Thane, which is the home town of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Advocate general Birendra Saraf, appearing on behalf of the state government, offered to give details of the entire matter, which will be heard on Thursday.

The judges sought to know the budgetary allocation for health in the state, and details of the availability and vacancies for various medical, specialist and other staffers.

As the matter came up before the Bombay HC, the state was rocked by yet another 25 deaths in 24 hours at the government-run Mayo Hospital in Nagpur, Maharashtra's second capital.

The Opposition, including the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (SP), Shiv Sena (UBT), plus the Maha Navnirman Sena, CPI(M), Samajwadi Party and others have targeted the state government over the continuing serial deaths in government hospitals that have alarmed the ordinary masses.

The Leaders of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar (Congress, Assembly) and Ambadas Danve (Shiv Sena-UBT, Council) visited the affected hospitals on Wednesday for an assessment of the situation.

While Shinde announced a thorough probe into the tragedies in the four major government hospitals, top Opposition leaders from various parties have demanded sacking or resignation of Health Minister Tanaji Sawant.