NEW DELHI: At least 24 patients, half of them newborns, have died in the last 24 hours at a government-run hospital in India’s Maharashtra state.
The deaths at the Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital in Nanded, about 600 km east of India’s financial capital Mumbai, were blamed on a shortage of medicines and staff, according to local media reports.
Another 70 patients were reported to be in serious condition.
In August, 18 patients died in one day at a state-run hospital in the district of Thane, about 25 km from Mumbai.
The Nanded deaths between Saturday and Sunday drew accusations of healthcare neglect in the country’s richest state.
“The situation in the hospital is worrisome,” opposition politician and former state chief minister Ashok Chavan said after visiting the facility on Monday.
About 1,200 patients are receiving treatment while the hospital’s capacity is only 500, he said, adding that it was in a financial distress and lacked enough nurses and doctors. – BERNAMA
