Can definitely find drawbacks in any hospital, no need to politicise death of infants in Kota: CM Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday said that the issue of Kota infants deaths should not be 'politicized' and there would be some drawbacks in different hospital which media has a right to highlight so that it can be improved by the government.

On being asked about the lack of basic hygiene inside the ICU where over 100 infants recently died in a hospital in Kota, Gehlot said: "You will definitely find some drawbacks when you'll visit any hospital across the country. I believe that if and when we'll be informed about any lack of facility inside a hospital we will work towards it."

He also said that the government intends to reduce the infant mortality rate to a minimum in the state and it is very said even if a single infant dies.

"It is extremely saddening even if one infant dies. We want that the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) should be reduced in Rajasthan. This issue should not be politicized. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is an MP from Kota and he has all the knowledge about the matter so the day he speaks about it, the issue will end," said Gehlot.

Gehlot further added that during BJP's term around 1,000 infants used to die in a year but in the current government's term the count has come to around 900.

"The health minister doesn't need to visit Kota today but the media has made an issue out of it so he has to go. As soon as the incident came to light, the expert teams were sent there and a detailed investigation has also taken place. There was no negligence in the treatment. Infants have died during BJP's tenure and during our term, the death rate has reduced," he added.

On January 2, an official from the hospital in Kota said that three more children died on the first two days of the New Year, taking the toll to 103.

As per a government report, at least 91 infants lost their lives at the government hospital in Kota in December last year, following which Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government is being targetted by the BJP and other opposition parties in the state.