60 children die at Malda Medical College in three weeks, state seeks detailed report
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "60 children die at Malda Medical College in three weeks, state seeks detailed report")
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The West Bengal health department is inspecting local facilities after 60 children, mostly referred critical newborns, died at Malda Medical College and Hospital over three weeks in August.
The West Bengal Health Department has sought an explanation from Malda Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) after 10 newborns died there in a single day during the second week of August, part of a wider toll of 60 child deaths at the facility across the first three weeks of the month.
The department has ordered a formal review of MMCH's paediatric and neonatal care, and is simultaneously examining private hospitals, nursing homes and block-level health centres from which many of the children had been referred before their deaths.
Ten deaths in a single day
Hospital authorities have acknowledged the deaths. Speaking to reporters, MMCH Medical Superintendent-cum-Vice Principal (MSVP) Dr Prasenjit Bar said the incident occurred during the second week of August, when around 10 newborns died on a single day. "Eight of the 10 babies were brought to the hospital from outside, while two were born at Malda Medical College and Hospital," Dr Bar said.
He said the deaths resulted from a range of medical conditions, including low birth weight, asphyxia, jaundice and heart-related ailments, among other causes — complications that often stem from premature or complicated deliveries and require prompt intervention to survive.
"We have already sent a primary report to the Health Department and the higher authorities. A detailed report is being prepared," Dr Bar added.
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Referral pattern under scrutiny
Officials say the pattern seen in the single-day cluster reflects a wider trend across the month: of the 60 deaths recorded in August, 44 involved infants who were born elsewhere and referred to MMCH only after their condition worsened. That has turned attention toward the standard of care and timeliness of referral at smaller facilities feeding into the medical college, which serves as a referral hub for Malda and surrounding districts.
As part of the probe, health officials have so far inspected 16 hospitals and nursing homes. The Health Department is also examining whether there were gaps in the healthcare arrangements available to mothers and newborns, and whether existing protocols for maternal and child health were properly followed at the referring facilities.
Investigation underway
An initial inquiry into the deaths is already in progress, and the preliminary report has been submitted to the state government, though the more detailed findings from MMCH are still awaited. That report is expected to shed further light on the individual cases and the circumstances surrounding each death.
The Malda district magistrate is scheduled to chair a meeting on Thursday to review the situation and go over the investigation's findings so far, a step that could shape what corrective action, if any, follows at MMCH and the referring facilities.
Wider health department scrutiny
The Malda cluster comes even as the state's health leadership has been focused on tightening oversight of hospital practices elsewhere in Bengal. Earlier on Sunday, state Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee — who has been camping in Burdwan for four consecutive days — proposed a 72-hour restriction on private surgeries conducted at Bardhaman under government insurance schemes, aimed at curbing misuse of free services.
The minister flagged a pattern in which patients were admitted for operations, availed free investigations such as CT scans and blood tests, and then sought Discharge Against Medical Advice (DAMA) within minutes — telling doctors simply, "I am leaving voluntarily." He suggested the trend pointed to a well-designed malpractice rather than genuine medical need.
MMCH has a history of recurring infant deaths in clusters, particularly during periods of extreme weather or seasonal illness, and past reviews have often pointed to low birth weight, infection and delayed referral as recurring factors — a backdrop against which the current investigation is being closely watched by health authorities and local families alike.
