Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Aug 25: At a time when unusually high number of infant deaths reported from Kolar recently gave rise to red alert in the health department, it has transpired that between April and June this year, 914 newborns had died in the entire state.

As many as 85 newborn children had died in Davanagere during April and June this year, which accounted for 41.87 percent of the number of newborns. Likewise, 74 newborns died in Kalaburagi, 63 in Raichur, 58 in Dharwad and 54 in Belagavi during the above period. 21 newborn children died in Kolar during the same period while three died within the city corporation limits.

The department of health and family welfare, which has taken remedial measures, sent ten guiding principles to district hospitals in order to put a brake to infant deaths. The department has directed the hospitals to strictly follow them. Under the child-friendly hospital campaign, these principles have been instructed to be prominently displayed in all the hospitals. The department has noted that because of improved facilities at government hospitals, the number of child births has increased and the staff have been asked to work additional hours.

Principal secretary in the department of health and family welfare, Shalini Rajneesh, said that the system of monitoring health condition of children released from sick newborn care units of government hosptials through 'Asha' workers for a year will be further streamlined. She said that various steps to minimize infant deaths like special ambulance, lactation clinics, breastmilk bank, special newborn treatment facility, additional equipment for special newborn childrens unit and staff, are being provided. As a result, she said that the number of infant deaths is coming down.

In Kolar district hospital case, between January and now, 90 children including 45 newborns have died. Director of health and family welfare department has reported to the principal secretary a report, confirming that prima facie no cases of negligence on the part of the staff were found in these deaths.

In the meanwhile, BJP has formed a fact finding team for investigating large number of infant deaths in different hospitals including SNR Hospital, Kolar. BJP state president, Yeddyurappa, formed the committee which will be headed by state spokesperson of the party and MLA, S Suresh Kumar. Kumar will be the convener of the committee which will travel to different districts to study infant deaths and submit a report.