Two more infants, shifted from DharmapuriGovernmentHospital to Salem, died on Wednesday pushing the toll of toddlers to 13, as the opposition parties called for a probe in the incident.
Of the four babies shifted from Dharmapuri on November 17 to MohanKumaramangalamMedicalCollegeHospital in Salem for want of beds, two died on Wednesday, its Dean C Mohan said.
"Two of the four infants who were admitted from the government Dharmapuri hospital died. The underweight babies were suffering from respiratory problems," he said.
The first case of infant deaths in DharampuriHospital was reported on November 14 and since then, there have been 13 deaths. Claiming that there had been no medical negligence, hospital authorities had earlier said the deaths were due to "extreme non-viability nature of factors, including pre-existing low birth weight and respiratory distress."
With toddlers’ toll mounting, the Dravida Munetra Kazhagam and Bharatiya Janata Party slammed Chief Minister O Panneerselvam-led government and demanded immediate measures to save the ailing children.
DMK Chief Karunanidhi accused the All India Anna Dravida Munetra Kazhagam of waking up to the situation ‘late’ and rejected arguments by Panneerselvam that the children had died of natural causes and there was no medical negligence.
"The government has intervened in this matter after so many deaths and Chief Minister O Panneeselvam is trying to shield the government by claiming that there was no lapse in medical attention," Karunanidhi charged.
Tamil Nadu unit BJP president Tamilisai Soundararjan demanded that government bring out a white paper on the issue. DMDK president Vijayakanth who criticised the government's failure to check the deaths, said the incident exposed the fact that pregnant women were not provided enough nutrition that resulted in low birth weight of infants.
Dharmapuri Member of Parliament and former Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss visited the hospital, discussed the situation with doctors while his father Pattali Makkal Katchi chief Ramadoss alleged that the hospital did not have adequate number of doctors.
Meanwhile, Dean of Dharmapuri Hospital Dr Narayana Babu told PTI that ‘all the four infants who were on ventilator and incubator support are progressing and responding to treatment.’
"Infants continue to be admitted in wards and other units like neonatal and paediatric," he said, adding that parents were confident of the best services in the hospital. Inspections by neonatal expert Dr S Srinivasan and Director of Medical Education, Dr S Geetha Lakshmi continued on Wednesday as well.
