9 newborns die at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital within 24 hours

At least nine newborn babies died at the government-run Civil Hospital in Gujarat's Ahmedabad within 24 hours, while five others were referred from the facility to other health centres.

"The babies were referred with critical conditions such as severe birth asphyxia, extreme preterm with birth weight 1.1 kg (usual 2.5 kg), hyaline membrane disease, and septicemia," said Gargi Pathak, a doctor at the Civil Hospital.

On the other hand, three babies born at the hospital had severe birth asphyxia, while one had a meconium aspiration syndrome.

"All doctors and nurses were on duty in the neonatal intensive care unit. This unit with around 100 beds is the ultimate referral centre in Gujarat," Dr. Pathak said.

This has come weeks after the Gorakhpur tragedy that took lives of more than 70 children at Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College. Following this, it was also reported that at least 49 children had died in Farrukhabad in one month, in Uttar Pradesh - a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state, as is Gujarat.