Guwahati, November 10: At least 16 infants have lost their lives at Jorhat Medical College and Hospital (JMCH) in Assam in nine days between November 1 and 9. The tragic deaths have prompted the state health department to rush a high-level team to probe the matter. Several reports claim that some of the infants had congenital diseases, while the others had very low birth weight. However, the hospital authorities stated that there was no negligence by the hospital staff.

In the wake of the mysterious incident, the hospital authorities have also formed a six-member committee to look into the matter and ascertain the cause of the death. Reports inform that a high-level probe team has been sent from Guwahati to Jorhat. The preliminary report into the death case was expected to be released today. Medical Apathy in Bihar: Infant Dies After Being Bitten by Rats, Darbhanga Hospital to Investigate. 

According to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital (JMCH) Superintendent Saurav Borkakoti, the infants have died at the special care newborn unit of the hospital claimed the deaths were not due to medical negligence by the hospital authorities.

According to a PTI report, Borkakoti said sometimes the number of patients coming to the hospital may be large and so the figure of the death of newborns may also be large. "It depends on what situation the patients have come to the hospital. They may have come with prolonged labour, with low birth weight. In such circumstances, those newborns may die," Borkakoti added. Bihar: Nurses of a Hospital in Katihar Thrash a Doctor Who Allegedly Molested Female Medical Staff; Watch Video.

The northeastern state of Assam suffers from one of the highest infant as well as maternal mortality rates in India. Reports inform that on an average, JMCH admits 40 infants of which 6 die.

Borkakoti further informed that since the time the civil hospital was converted into a full-fledged medical college and hospital, the number of patients has gone up, exceeding the available 141-bed SNCU capacity. This has forced the hospital to sometimes accommodate more babies.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 10, 2018 07:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).