At least 24 people, including 12 newborn children, died within 24 hours at Shankarrao Chavan Government Hospital in Maharashtra's Nanded district. On Monday, officials at the hospital stated that the deaths occurred due to a shortage of medicines.
The hospital's dean revealed that the 12 children who died included six girls and six boys. He added that the twelve adults who died succumbed to various ailments, including snake bites. The dean elaborated that the hospital functions as a "tertiary-level care centre," but patients come from various regions because it is the only healthcare centre within a 70-80 km radius.
He mentioned that the number of patients sometimes exceeds the hospital's budget, leading to a shortage of medicines. This issue was exacerbated because multiple members of the hospital staff had been transferred.
The dean also noted that the hospital had intended to purchase medicines from an institute named Haffkine, but the acquisition did not materialise. Instead, medicines were procured from local stores. In a related incident, between August 12 and 13, a total of 18 patients had died at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa, Thane district, causing widespread concern across the state.
Opposition's Critique of Maharashtra Government
Criticising the Maharashtra government led by Eknath Shinde, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) spokesperson Vikas Lawande said in a post on X (formerly Twitter), "24 deaths, including 12 newborn babies, in 24 hours at a government hospital in Nanded were not merely due to a lack of supply of medicine by the state government. Shame on a government that promotes festivals and events."
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also accused the BJP of spending "thousands of crores of rupees on its publicity" but not investing in medicines for children. In a post on X, Gandhi expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased.
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"The BJP government spends thousands of crores of rupees on its publicity, but there is no money for medicines for children? In the eyes of the BJP, the lives of the poor have no value," he wrote.
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi lambasted the BJP-led state government, stating, "Please don't call them deaths; this is murder due to absolute negligence on the part of the unconstitutional state government."
She accused the state government of being "busy planning influencer events or foreign trips" and stated that they have neglected their primary duty to serve the state.
NCP Working President Supriya Sule called on Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to order an investigation into the incident. She said the ministers concerned should be removed from their posts and added that the families of the deceased should be compensated for their loss.