After the tragic loss of 31 lives, including infants, within a span of just two days, the Dr Shankarrao Chavan Medical College and Hospital in Nanded, Maharashtra, has become the epicenter of a medical crisis. The shocking incident has prompted a swift response from authorities, including the registration of an FIR against the hospital’s Dean and doctors on charges of culpable homicide.
Distraught relatives of the deceased have alleged a scarcity of medicines and negligence on the part of the hospital’s authorities, igniting a public outcry.
The Maharashtra Police have registered an FIR against the hospital’s Dean and doctors under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in response to this alarming situation.
Maharashtra’s Minister of Medical Education, Hasan Mushrif, has vowed to conduct a thorough investigation into the tragic incident. A committee of doctors will be formed to oversee the inquiry, aiming to shed light on the circumstances leading to this heart-wrenching loss of lives.
The Dean of Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital, Nanded, Shyamrao Wakode, has firmly denied allegations of negligence and medicine shortages. He contended that the deceased patients were afflicted with various underlying ailments, such as diabetes, liver failure, and kidney failure. Wakode stated that the hospital provided appropriate care, but regrettably, the patients’ bodies did not respond to treatment. Additionally, some of the patients were suffering from arsenic and phosphorus poisoning, as well as snake bites.
The incident has garnered attention at the highest levels of government, with Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge calling for a comprehensive investigation. Kharge highlighted the seriousness of the situation and expressed deep concern, drawing parallels to a similar incident in Thane two months ago, where 18 lives were lost, raising questions about the state’s healthcare system.
Minister Hasan Mushrif has pledged to bring about positive changes in the functioning of government-run medical facilities across the state within the next four months. ‘’The Maharashtra government has already taken a decision to perform all types of complicated surgeries in the state-run hospitals using the public–private partnership (PPP) model. We will try to implement it effectively at the earliest. I have taken charge (of the ministry) just two months back. I can assure that you will see good changes in four months in all the medical colleges attached to government hospitals – be it Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) or Nagpur. I will definitely start health services, such as kidney transplant and liver transplant, at these hospitals,’’ he said. The Bombay High Court has also taken suo motu cognizance of the deaths in Nanded and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and deemed the reasons provided by doctors, citing shortages of beds, staff, and essential medicines, as unacceptable. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has assured that the government is taking the matter seriously and will initiate appropriate actions following a detailed inquiry.
