Maharashtra government responsible for Nanded hospital deaths, says Congress' Atul Londhe Patil

Maharashtra Congress Spokesperson Atul Londhe Patil. Pic/@atullondhe

Maharashtra Congress Spokesperson Atul Londhe Patil on Tuesday criticized the state government for the deaths of patients at a government hospital in Nanded district, reported news agency ANI.

Atul Londhe Patil called out the negligence of the management and governance in the state in connection with deaths at the Dr Shankarrao Chavan Medical College and Hospital in Nanded. Reportedly the deaths took place due to an alleged scarcity of medicines, reported ANI.

"12 more newborn babies have died in Nanded hospital as per today's information. Now, the total number of deaths is 24. This is only because of, the lack of management and governance on the part of the present Government in the state," Atul Londhe Patil said in a statement.

"This government is mostly involved in creating events and managing headlines. Recently, they have started a new hospital to which half of the staff from Nanded has been transferred. There is no annual maintenance contract for MRI machines. There is a lack of medical equipment in the hospital, a lack of medicines, and doctors. So, the present government in the state is solely responsible for this incident," Atul Londhe Patil said.

Meanwhile, Dean of the college and hospital in Nanded, rejected allegations of negligence against the hospital, claiming that deceased patients were suffering from different ailments such as diabetes, liver failure, and kidney failure, reported ANI.

"There was no shortage of medicines or doctors. Proper care was provided to the patients, but their bodies did not respond to the treatment, which caused deaths," he said.

Maharashtra Minister of Medical Education of Maharashtra, Hasan Mushrif also refuted the allegations, reported ANI. "There was no shortage of medicine in the hospital I have been informed by the dean so, we have formed a committee to look into the incident I will also be visiting Nanded," Mushrif said.

Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government faced backlash from opposition parties in Maharashtra due to the recent Nanded tragedy.

A day after it came to light that 24 patients died in a 24-hour period at a government-run hospital in Maharashtra's Nanded, the authorities on Tuesday confirmed that seven more deaths occurred at the same facility between October 1 and 2, reported news agency PTI.

The District Information Office (DIO) of Nanded, located around 280 km from here, confirmed this on a social media platform, which took the total count of the deceased patients in the hospital in 48 hours to 31.

Earlier, 24 deaths were reported at the Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital in Nanded in 24 hours between September 30 and October 1. Twelve of the 24 deceased were infants, a top Maharashtra health department official said on Monday.

In a social media post, the Nanded DIO said, "The facts related to the death of patients at Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital is as follows: 24 deaths between September 30 and October 1; seven deaths between October 1 and 2."

"Please do not panic. A team of doctors is ready," it added.

(With inputs from ANI and PTI)