Kolkata, Sep 10 (PTI): In the news for a long time owing to large number of crib deaths, the state-run B C Roy Children's Hospital in Kolkata has reported another 49 infant deaths in the last seven days, including seven in the last 24 hours.

"Forty-nine child patients have died in our hospital in the last seven days, and almost all of them were brought in a critical condition," hospital sources said.

However, the state government gave a clean chit to the hospital. Quoting reports submitted by a three-member probe committee set up by the health department, Minister of State for Health Chandrima Bhattacharya said no medical negligence by the hospital authority had been found.

"During this season, children suffer a lot and most of the time they are brought in a critical state at this only referral hospital for children. Situation is nothing abnormal," Bhattacharya said after her meeting with the hospital authority.

"We have strengthened our medical team, nursing staff and infrastructure in the hospital to reduce the number of mortalities," she said.

Earlier, chairman of the task force formed to supervise child health care, Tridib Banerjee had said, "The health department has been struggling to take the best of child health care,"

Sources said death rate in the hospital was generally five to six per day and "in this case it is seven (per day) in the last seven days."

According to hospital authorities, 70 terminally ill child patients are, on an average, brought to this hospital every day, and best of care is given to them.

The hospital had reported 18 deaths within 48 hours on July 1, 2011. According to reports, 22 infants died in three days in 2002 and 14 in 2006.