Authorities suspend hospital chief over children’s deaths in India

The head of a government hospital in India has been suspended after at least 72 children died in recent days as a result of the hospital’s alleged negligence.

Rajeev Misra, head of the state-run Baba Raghav Das hospital in Gorakhpur town, was suspended, as officials in the state of Uttar Pradesh ordered an investigation.

Local media reported the deaths were caused in part by oxygen shortages, after a private supplier cut the supply over unpaid bills.

Hospital officials deny lack of oxygen caused the deaths, saying alternative supplies were found.

They instead blamed many of the deaths on encephalitis and unspecified issues related to delivery of the infants.

TRT World spoke to Neha Poonia who has more from New Delhi.

Strict action

On Sunday, JP Nadda, health minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet, visited the hospital in Gorakhpur, accompanied by the state's chief minister, Yogi Adityanath.

Nadda promised "strict action" against the culprits in an interview with a local news channel, before his departure from the Indian capital.

"I wrote at least three letters," Misra told television reporters on Saturday, adding that he had even flagged the issue in video conference discussions.

Unpaid bills

A representative for Narendra Modi’s cabinet said the prime minister was monitoring developments and that the federal government was ready to send more assistance.

However, the issue of the unpaid bills for oxygen supply has become a flashpoint in relations between the hospital and the state government.

The suspended hospital chief has accused state officials of not answering his requests for money. A claim that has been denied.

Pressure on ruling BJP

Opposition parties have stepped up the pressure on the state government, demanding the resignations of Adityanath and the state health minister.

“Utter failure of Chief Minister Yogi’s government, who have the blood of more than 60 lives on their hands,” the opposition Congress party said in a message on Twitter.

Uttar Pradesh is India’s most politically-prized state, where the BJP’s thumping victory has strengthened Modi’s claim to a second term in 2019.

Gorakhpur, a down-at-heel town near India’s border with Nepal, is Adityanath’s political base, which elected him to parliament five times before Modi asked him to lead Uttar Pradesh, after a landslide BJP election victory in March.

But the town’s health facilities are seen as deficient, with a study of government data by nonprofit body Brookings India showing the district has a 26 percent shortage of primary health centres.

Encephalitis outbreaks kill hundreds in India every year, especially during the monsoon season.