61 infants have died at a children’s hospital in Cuttack in Odisha in just two weeks, sparking protests and forcing the state government of Naveen Patnaik to launch an investigation.
A criminal probe was under way into the conduct of three staff at the Shishu Bhawan or Children’s Home in Cuttack, state health minister Atanu S Nayak said on Wednesday. Five workers have been suspended.
“A preliminary inquiry found (the staff) had neglected their duty that contributed to the deaths,” Health Minister Nayak said, without elaborating on the causes of death. Doctors at the hospital blamed the deaths on overstretched facilities, not negligence.
The deaths highlight the challenges faced in an underfunded public health system beleaguered by an acute shortage of staff and clinics.
Mr.Niranjan Mohanty, a senior official at the hospital, said it was overburdened, admitting up to 50 critically ill children and treating up to 500 outpatients daily.
Prasanta Patnaik 
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