NEW DELHI: Another new born girl, bitten by rats inside Indore’s government-run Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital (MYH), died on Wednesday. Officials said that the infant suffered septicemia or blood poisoning. According to MYH deputy superintendent Dr Jitendra Verma, the baby, who weighed only 1.60 kg, died during treatment as she was suffering from multiple congenital deformities, including an intestinal malformation.He added that the girl had undergone surgery a week ago, but her condition remained critical because of septicemia. She eventually succumbed to the infection, which occurs when bacteria enter the bloodstream and spread.As per the wishes of the girl’s family, no post-mortem was carried out and her body was handed over to them, the superintendent told PTI. He also claimed that the baby had been bitten by rats on two fingers of her left hand, leaving ‘mild scratches’.This comes barely a day after another newborn girl, also a victim of a rat attack at the same hospital, had died on Tuesday. Hospital officials said she too suffered from congenital deformities and died due to a ‘pneumonia infection’.Both babies were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the department dealing with newborn surgery. Following a preliminary probe into the rat-bite incidents, two nursing officers were suspended and the nursing superintendent was removed from her post.“The child was suffering from congenital anomalies. So, she was very weak. She was undergoing treatment of septicemia,” MGM Medical college dean Dr Arvind Ghanghoria told TOI. He further added that an autopsy had been performed and the report would further establish the cause of death.Doctors said the infant weighed only 1.2 kg at birth, had extremely low haemoglobin, and underdeveloped organs. The administration also disclosed that the baby’s parents had abandoned her after admission and never returned.The incident of rat bites, reported on Saturday and Sunday night, has exposed alarming negligence at one of central India’s largest government hospitals and triggered a swift response from authorities. On Tuesday, the state medical education department issued a show-cause notice to the dean of MGM Medical College, to which MY Hospital is affiliated.The hospital further imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh on its pest control agency, Agile Company, warning that its memorandum of understanding could be cancelled. Superintendent Dr Ashok Yadav was directed to carry out immediate and comprehensive pest control across the facility.Meanwhile, a high-level six-member inquiry panel, comprising senior doctors, has been formed to investigate the incident and submit a report.The case drew the attention of the Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission (MPHRC). Acting chairperson Rajeev Kumar Tandon has taken suo motu cognisance and ordered an inquiry. The commission termed the incident a prima facie violation of human rights and instructed the hospital to file a report on the action taken within a month.
