Children Continue to Die at BRD Medical College, 907 Deaths Since January This Year

Children’s deaths at Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College in Gorakhpur have come back to haunt the Uttar Pradesh government almost a year after a similar incident – wherein almost 60 infants had died in August last year – created a national uproar. 

In the same hospital, more than 900 children have lost their lives since January this year. “A total of 907 children have died from January till June 4, this year. Of them, 63 kids died due to encephalitis, while the others died due to various reasons,” a person close to the development told Newsclickon a condition of anonymity.

He said the highest number of deaths (587) have taken place in the neonatalintensive care unit (NICU), while 320 children died in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). “Sixty-three of those who died in the PICU were encephalitis patients,” he said.

There appears to be a marginal decline so far this year in the number of deaths of children in the state-run hospital. A total of 993 children – he said – had died in the same period (January to early June) last year. According to the record, the official said, 642 had died in the NICU and 351 in the PICU.

Following the crackdown on doctors and staff after the unfortunate incident of August 11-12, 2017 when over 60 children had died allegedly because of the oxygen shortage in the BRD, the doctors and other staff of the medical college are so frightened that they are unable to gather the courage to go on record.

So far, 62 children admitted in the acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) ward have died as against the 63 children during the same period last year.

Same story, different year

The BRD Hospital’s infrastructure is in an abysmal condition. As soon as the monsoon will arrive, there would be a sudden rise in cases where children would be admitted in the hospital. The hospital is highly under-staffed.

The former principal of BRD Dr Rajiv Mishra, who has been languishing in jail for the past nine months in connection with the last year’s tragedy, had written to the state health department regarding the crippling infrastructure, lack of staff in hospital and unavailability of facilities. But so far, no step has been taken by the authorities concerned. The letter is in exclusive possession of Newsclick.

Sources say there are only four doctors to look after 50-60 patients visiting the outpatient department (OPD). Even after one year, the BRD Hospital seems to have zero improvement and authorities are falling on false claims they made last year.

According to a high-level committee– comprising Dr M K Aggarwal, deputy commissioner (immunisation) at Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harish Chellani, professor and head of pediatrics at VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi and Dr Sushma Nangia, director, professor and head of neonatology at Lady Hardinge Medical College and Associated Hospitals, New Delhi – that had visited BRD College on August 13, 2017 i.e. two days after the incident, the number of senior residents (post MD residents) is “grossly inadequate being 4 against 12 vacancies” and that they need to be on the floor to provide 24X7 cover and not just during routine hours.

It is these post MD senior residents who take decisive actions regarding patient care and make a significant difference in the quality of care provided to the patients. “Currently, the patients are managed beyond the routine hours by junior residents who are themselves still students, and are learning to manage sick patients. Nursing personnel are adequate in number, but they need to be rationally deployed round the clock to provide optimum care. In addition, nurses trained in care of newborns are negligible. Out of 31 nurses working in neonatal area, there are only three FBNC (facility based newborn care) trained,” read the report submitted by the committee.

Adding that clinical management protocols of neonatal patients need to be strengthened and augmented, the doctors’ team found that “there is suboptimal care with regard to asepsis (the absence of bacteria, viruses and other microorganism) routines such as hand-washing, use of disinfectants, cleaning of bassinets after discharge or death of neonate”.

The doctors found that there was “gross overuse of antibiotics and intravenous fluid therapy as well as poor nutritional support in form of enteral feeding”.