Preliminary info on newborn deaths at Ahmedabad Civil hospital

Gandhinagar: The government of Gujarat today shared preliminary Information on news report of newborn deaths in Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad:

1. The reported 18 deaths of newborns are over last 3 days which includes 9 deaths in the date od 28/10/17 from 12 am. Of these 6 deaths are after 6 am on 28.10.17.

2. Of the 9 deaths, 5 babies were referred from distant places –Lunawada, Surendranagar, Mansa, Viramgam, Himmatnagar and were having severe life threatening conditions such as extremely low birth weight aroud 1.1 kg (normal average birth weight is 2.5 kg), Hyaline Membrane Disease, Early onset septicaemia, Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation, etc. The 4 babies born at Civil Hospital died due to lethal complications such as severe birth asphyxia, meconium aspiration, etc.

Extremely low birth weight deliveries continue to be a challenge in Gujarat in view of suboptimal nutritional status of pregnant women.

3. The average number of deaths of newborns in Ahmedabad Civil hospital is around 5 to 6 deaths per day. Hence 9 deaths are only slightly more.

4. All complicated high risk delivery cases and complicated newborns such as extremely low birth weight babies and those who require ventilator care or care for multiorgan involvement are referred from peripheral centres, both govt and private to Civil Hospital Ahmedabad.

5. The referrals from peripheral centres have been higher in these days since many of the doctors and hospitals in periphery especially private sector are not available / closed due to Post Diwali holidays phase.

6. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Civil Hospital Ahmedabad is a 100 bedded unit with all modern facilities such as ventilator care, exchange transfusion, neonatal resuscitation, administration of surfactants, multi-organ failure care. All designated staff including Senior professors, junior residents and adequate number of staff nurses are on duty 24×7 in this unit.

7. A Committee is constituted under Dr R K Dixit, Deputy Director, Medical Education with senior doctors from paediatrics and obstetric and gynecology from other medical college hospitals to inquire into circumstances and causes of death and suggest future areas of improvement. The committee will submit its report soon.

Govt of Gujarat is committed to minimize significantly all newborn and infant deaths.

DeshGujarat