16 more babies die in WB govt hospitals; toll 29

Four more babies died at Kolkata's B C Roy Children's Hospital, which has witnessed a series of crib deaths, besides 12 newborns in the Burdwan Medical College, taking the death toll in two government hospitals in West Bengal to 29 on Friday.

Though the crib deaths have raised a question mark on the standard of medical care in paediatric hospitals in the state, hospital authorities claimed that it was 'not unusual'.

The deaths have taken place since Thursday, hospital deputy superintendent Tapas Kumar Ghosh said on Friday. "The one-to-three-day old babies were heavily under weight and suffering from jaundice, encephalitis and septicemia," Ghosh said.

No complaint was lodged against the hospital for the deaths by any patient party, Ghosh said, adding doctors did their best to save the lives of the babies, but all were born with critical conditions.

The hospital, he said, was overcrowded as 160 infants were currently being treated in 60 beds. The hospital needed more nursing staff and modern equipment, he said.

Thirteen babies have died in the B C Roy Children Hospital in Kolkata since October 25.

The state government gave a clean chit to the hospital holding there was no medical negligence or any lapse on the part of hospital authorities.