The Union Health Ministry has decided to send a team of paediatricians and experts to Odisha to assist and examine the reasons behind the death of more than 50 infants at Shishu Bhavan within a span of ten days.
The team will also suggest immediate and long-term measures to avert such occurrences in the future through effective management and preparedness.
Union Health Minister J P Nadda directed the Ministry to send the team of required specialists to assist the state in management of critical cases of children.
This comes after a central team comprising paediatrics and specialists led by Union Additional Health Secretary Arun Panda visited the state on August 29 and also had detailed discussions with officials while going through the case sheets of all the children who expired between August 21-26.
"The Health Minister has directed for a team of paediatric experts to be sent to Odisha to extend all support and assistance to the state in examining the reasons that may have contributed to the deaths of these children.
"... And to suggest immediate or short-term and long-term measures that would avert such occurrences in the future through effective management and preparedness," an official statement said, adding this comes following reports regarding the deaths of some children in the tertiary care referral hospital.
As per the latest report, the infant mortality toll at Sishu Bhawan in Cuttack in Odisha has shot up to 51 in the past 10 days.
The statement said that Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has also reviewed the situation in presence of the central team which had already been sent to assess the situation along with the state government officials. Pradhan also took rounds of the hospital to take stock of the situation and assured all help from the central government.
The central team which visited the state has also made several suggestions for improvement in the level of competence and preparedness to deal with critical cases.
"The Union Health Minister has also directed for the Ministry to send the team of required specialists to assist the state in management of the critical cases of children that require urgent attention," the statement added.
