Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 2: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said that the State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) and State Accountability Commission (SAC) will fix the responsibility for the high infant mortality at G B Pant paediatric hospital.
He said that the report submitted by the Director SKIMS, Dr Showkat Zargar, to the Government needs to form the basis of inquiry both by the Vigilance and the Accountability Commission. “I believe responsibility needs to be fixed”, he added.
It may be mentioned here that after the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad, criticised the State Government for high infant mortality rate in May this year, the State Government had ordered an inquiry by Director SKIMS to probe the deaths and the then Medical Superintendent of the hospital Javed Chowdhury was attached.
Over 3200 children died in the hospital since 2009 with 500 infant deaths recorded this year leading to a public outcry. The death mostly took place due to poor infrastructure, lack of management and dual control of the hospital by State Government and Army.
The Chief Minister said he has not absolved anyone of the responsibility. “There is no denying that failure at multiple levels, right from the hospital to the Secretariat, resulted in the situation…I myself had to step in, and between myself and officers with me, we put in place certain corrective measures wherein the situation has been addressed to a large extent,” he said.
The authorities had sealed a medical shop inside the hospital premises that was selling sub-standard medicines. The doctors deposed before the inquiry officer said that they were forced to prescribe medicines from sub-standard companies.
The Government took the corrective measures at the G B Pant hospital after Azad made revelations that the State Government had not utilized Rs 60 crore meant for neonatal care at the G B Pant and other hospitals of the State.
The Union Minister had also critised the Government for not utilising Rs 62 crore meant for Maternity and children’s hospital at Bemina for past 4 years.
Azad had pointed at the failures of the State Government in responding on time to prevent the deaths.
After Azad intervened, the State Government took some corrective measures and health care at the hospital has improved and mortality rate has also come down now.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel