At least 80 newborns die at Madhya Pradesh Hospital over six months, BJP MLA demands probe

At least 80 newborns have died at the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of the district hospital in the Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh over six months. In response, the local BJP MLA called for a detailed investigation into the mortalities. Reacting to the development, hospital officials have attributed the deaths to premature births, low birth weight and complications among critically ill infants.

BJP MLA Dinesh Rai Munmun alleged on Tuesday that doctors were not available at night to attend to patients. In response, Civil Surgeon Dr Vinod Kumar Navkar explained that the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) handles critically ill infants referred from remote rural pockets across the district.

“Many times, these babies are born at six, seven or eight months. They have complications and require specialised care,” Navkar said. “According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Government of India data, a baby’s normal birth weight should be 2.5 kg. When a baby is born prematurely and weighs less than this, the mortality rate can be as high as 48 per cent,” he said.

Complications during delivery of child

Navkar also pointed out the complications arising during labour and delivery as a contributing factor. He claimed that the district hospital had treated 1,188 newborns more than the preceding six months, of whom 642, over half, had a birth weight below normal. He further added that 582 infants with low birth weight had received treatment, including babies weighing 1,100 grams, 900 grams and even 500 grams. Hospital authorities confirmed nearly 34 deaths between April and June, and 46 deaths between July and September.

Navkar defended the hospital’s performance, saying the neonatal mortality rate at the SNCU was below 7.5 per cent, considering it lower than other districts in the Jabalpur division of the state. He also referred to 10 per cent as a recommended mortality benchmark for neonatal units.

He further flagged the need for stronger support from the paediatrics department at the medical college attached to the district hospital, saying the hospital had requested assistance but the necessary duty arrangements had not yet been put in place. This explanation comes even as several families have alleged that their newborns did not receive timely or adequate care.

Manish Warkade, from Dungariya village in Barghat block, alleged that his wife did not receive timely care after being admitted to the hospital in July. He said she had been referred from Barghat to Seoni, and the newborn later died after being placed in the SNCU.

Similarly, Sanjay Uikey, a resident of Jawarkathi, said his wife was referred to Seoni after complications developed during her pregnancy. The baby was born prematurely in the seventh month, weighing around 1.6 kg, he said, adding that doctors informed the family the newborn’s heartbeat was weak. “After several days in the SNCU, the baby was shifted to another machine and died a few hours later,” Uikey said.