Infants deaths in Govt. hospitals within IMR ratio in Gujarat: Government shares figures

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government today said that infants deaths in government hospitals were within Infant Mortality Ratio (IMR) in Gujarat. Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel who is also state health minister in a press conference shared the figures of deaths of infants in government facilities in Rajkot and Ahmedabad and said the figures were within IMR ratio. Patel also shared the efforts the government is doing to further reduce IMR. He said State has reduced IMR from 62 in year 1997 to 30 in 2017 and estiamatedly 25 in 2019. Patel cancelled his two public programmes scheduled today and addressed the media in the afternoon following media reports claiming extra-ordinary number of deaths of infants in State government run hospitals of Rajkot and Ahmedabad.

State run civil hospitals in Rajkot and Ahmedabad witnessed 219 deaths of children in the month of December last year. In Rajkot, 134 infants died in December while in Ahmedabad civil hospital there were 85 deaths in the same month but in last three months, 253 infants died in the civil hospital, the State’s largest government hospital. All figures of new born babies deaths are from civil hospitals of Ahmedabad and Rajkot.In Rajkot civil hospital; 1,235 infants deaths were reported in 2019. December saw the highest deaths of new-born babies while with 131 deaths, October saw the second highest in the year.

Earlier in the morning Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who hails from Rajkot, refused to respond and walked off in Vadodara when mediapersons asked him about large number of deaths of new-born babies in government hospitals. Sources close to Rupani said, he stayed away from commenting on a news report on the sidelines of early morning Vadodara Marathon event, as he wanted media to be properly addressed over this issue later in the day with authentic figures and all related details sourced from the department.

#WATCH: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani walks away when asked about reports of deaths of infants in hospitals in Rajkot and Ahmedabad. pic.twitter.com/pzDUAI231Z

— ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2020

Addressing the media, State health minister Nitin Patel said Each year around 12 lakh children born across Gujarat. 99% of them take birth in hospitals. In the past when institutional delivery were fewer, state’s infant mortality rate (IMR) was 62 in year 1997. In 2003 IMR was 57, in 2007 it was 52, in 2013 it was 36, in 2017 it was 30 while as per the details available through software, it is now less than 25.

Patel said the highest IMR is in Madhya Pradesh which is death of 47 children per 1000 birth. It is 44 in Assam, 41 in Uttar Pradesh, 38 in Rajasthan, 38 in Chhattisgarh, 35 in Bihar 35, 34 in Uttarakhand, 32 in Andhra Pradesh, 30 in Haryana, and 30 in Gujarat.

Patel informed that only seriously ill infants are taken to Special Newborn Care Units (SNCU). Rajkot Janana hospital in October 2019 witnessed 815 deliveries covering patients from Rajkot and rural areas, of which 288 infants were needing special care and therefore they were taken to SNCU. Similarly from private hospitals and other government hospitals, 164 infants were admitted in SNCU. Thus total 452 infants were admitted in Rajkot hospital, of them 87 couldn’t survive unfortunately. The percentage of mortality rate was 452/87 which comes to 19.3%. In the month of November out of 846 deliveries, 281 were needing special care and taken to SNCU while 175 were admitted from outside to SNCU. Out of 456 infants, 71 couldn’t survive which comes to 15.5%. In the month of December, out of 804 deliveries, 228 infants were taken to SNCU while 160 came to Rajkot SNCU from outside. Out of 388 treated, 111 children died which comes to 28%. Patel said when asked about more deaths in December, the doctors informed that winter witnesses more deliveries and also increase in deaths.

Patel said Ahmedabad Civil hospital has 400-bed facility for infants and mothers. Patients from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Ahmedabad based migrants come to Civil hospital. In the month of October, the hospital witnessed 885 deliveries, of which 194 infants were taken to SNCU, in addition to this 298 infants were admitted to SLCU from outside, out of total 492 admitted in Ahmedabad SNCU in the month of October, 91 died which comes to 18.4% IMR. In the month of November, out of total 901 deliveries in Civil hospital, 189 infants were taken to SNCU while 261 were admitted to SNCU from outside. Out of total 450 children, 74 died, which comes to 16.4%. In the month of December, 849 children took birth in the hospital, of them 172 were taken to SNCU, while 243 came to SNCU from other hospitals. Out of total 415 admitted to SNCU, 88 infants died which comes to 21.2%.

Patel said the government is trying its best to ensure that IMR goes further down. He explained government actions and efforts to take IMR further down.

DeshGujarat