Kolkata hospital: 8 babies die, doctors admit 2-hr power cut to blame for one

The 10-day-old baby was in an incubator that became ‘‘non-functional’’ because of the power failure, admitted Mrinal Chatterjee, the Superintendent of the Hospital, denying reports that the subsequent deaths were also from power failure.

The power-cut lasted at least two hours sparking off widespread agitation and violence when angry relatives ransacked the hospital.

Exactly four years ago, a series of 15 crib deaths had highlighted the mess in the government’s healthcare services.

Doctors admitted that this baby could have been saved had the hospital had an emergency switching arrangement to an alternative source of power. Most other city hositals have such a facility. The usual blame game has begun between the hospital, the state Health Department and the power supply agency as to why the emergency line was not sought form the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC).

The hospital lodged a complaint with the local Phulbagan police station alleging negligence by CESC that supplies power to the children hospital. The CESC, however, said that it arranges for an alternative switching system for emergency supply whenever a hospital applies for it. The CESC had made such arrangements for other city hospitals whereas Dr B C Roy Hospital never sought such an arrangement.

A senior CESC official said that power disruptions could not be avoided in the hospital’s neighbourhood where a ‘‘road widening project’’ is under way.