Rajasthan government constitutes panel to investigate death of nine newborns at hospital in Kota

The Rajasthan government on Friday constituted a four-member committee to investigate the death of nine newborns at JK Lon Hospital in Kota, officials said.

According to state health minister Raghu Sharma, the committee, which includes medical education commissioner Shivangi Swarnkar and other officials, will visit the J K Lon Hospital and investigate every case of infant death at the health facility.

Nine newborns died at the hospital within a span of hours, a year after the same facility had hit national headlines over the deaths of an unusual number of infants. Five of the babies died during Wednesday night and four more on Thursday at the J K Lon Hospital. All of them were between one to four days old.

Sharma said the committee will look into overall arrangements at the hospital such as requirement and availability of medical staff, availability of medical equipment, and medicines.

It will submit its report to the state government in three days, he said.

The Rajasthan health minister also directed all principals of all medical colleges of the state to take special care towards the treatment of newborn children, according to a release.

Rajasthan Human Rights Commission secretary B L Meena and registrar Omi Purohit will visit the JK Lon hospital on December 14. They will also hold meetings with the divisional commissioner, IG, collector, SP, chief municipal health officer and other officials.

Meanwhile, the opposition BJP slammed the Congress-led state government over the deaths of the infants and also formed a committee which will visit the hospital.

Rajasthan BJP chief Satish Poonia said 107 infants had died in the same hospital last year but the government "took no lessons" and now nine infants have died in the hospital.

The committee consists of deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore, the BJP's state general secretary and MLA Madan Dilawar, MP Jaskaur Meena and MLA Sandeep Sharma.