Central team takes stock of Kota kids’ deaths

JAIPUR: On Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan’s initiative, a Central team reached Jaipur on Friday to study the infants’ deaths at J K Lon Hospital in Kota, and had detailed discussions with the state government officials.
A high-level team despatched by the Centre comprising experts from AIIMS Jodhpur, health finance and regional director, health services Jaipur, held detailed discussions with the officials of the state health department on Friday over the death of 105 infants at JK Lon Hospital in Kota in the last 34 days.
Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union health and family welfare minister, had promised to send a team to study the reasons for the unusually high mortality rate in the hospital in the winter month, after the news made headlines in the media.
The Union minister said in a tweet on Thursday, “The high-level team being despatched by @MoHFW_INDIA incl experts from AIIMS Jodhpur, Health Finance & Regional Director, Health Services Jaipur. It will reach #Kota tomorrow. In my letter too to @ashokgehlot51ji, I’ve offered all possible assistance to prevent any further deaths.”
Sources in the health department said the team members had detailed discussions with the state government officials on Friday and left for Kota in the evening. They will visit the hospital on Saturday morning according to sources. However, officials in the health department were tight-lipped on the discussions with the Central team.
Facing severe criticism over the matter, chief minister Ashok Gehlot had asked the Union minister to visit the hospital to take stock of the situation himself. The minister, promising all co-operation to the state, preferred to send a team of experts.
Chief minister Gehlot, who has been defending the state government, highlighting data on reduction of child mortality in the state in the last few years, had accepted on Friday that there is scope for improvement in healthcare in the state.
Two ministers, health minister Dr Raghu Sharma and transport minister, who is the minister in-charge of Kota district, also visited the hospital on Friday.