Centre's High-Level Team To Visit Kota Today As Infant Death Count Rises To 104

A high-level team of Centre, comprising of experts Jodhpur, AIIMS and health economists, will visit government hospital in Rajasthan’s Kota where over 100 infants have died in the last 33 days. The team will assess the infrastructural gaps and measures to be taken to prevent further deaths.

The health economists will inspect the gaps in the infrastructure of the JK Lon Maternal and Child Hospital and New Medical College Hospital in Kota to ascertain how much funds will be required for strengthening it.

“The high-level team being despatched by @MoHFW_INDIA incl experts from AIIMS Jodhpur, Health Finance & Regional Director, Health Services Jaipur. It will reach #Kota tomorrow. In my letter too to @ashokgehlot51 ji, I’ve offered all possible assistance to prevent any further deaths (sic),” Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had tweeted.

Thing that will be assessed by the team of experts are service delivery, clinical protocols, manpower availability and equipment for maternal, newborn and paediatric care services at the hospital.

“They will develop a joint action plan, based on gap analysis, for providing required technical and financial support to Kota Medical College through National Health Mission and state Medical Education Department. The team members will visit JK Lon Hospital and Medical College, Kota along with state government officials from January 3 and submit a detailed report,” a statement issued by the health ministry said.

Vardhan has also written to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, assuring him of all assistance and urging for measures to stop the deaths of children at the hospital.

“We are ready to provide any technical help or assistance. Let us ensure no child succumbs to preventable causes or due to lack of health system capacity,” he has written in his letter to Gehlot.

Besides, a committee constituted by the Rajasthan government has stated that the deaths were taking place due to a lack of oxygen pipelines in the hospital and also because of extreme cold conditions.

It also pointed towards an increased referral of critical cases and stated that the number of beds in the hospital was less than the flow of patients. The situation at the ICUs was also similar, the committee said.

"I informed @ashokgehlot51 ji that Rs 91.7 lakhs has already been advanced to JK Loan Hospital during 2019-20 under National Health Mission. Kota District alone has an annual allocation of Rs 27.45 Cr for '19-20, from the annual budgeted amount of Rs 1788.97 Cr for Rajasthan state (sic)," Vardhan said in another tweet.

"I told @ashokgehlot51 ji that #Rajasthan may go ahead and propose for further financial assistance in the upcoming Rajasthan National Health Mission (NHM) meeting after doing their gap analysis. We'll do our best to prevent further deaths, I assured him fully," the Union health minister wrote on Twitter.