Gujarat: 85 infants died at Ahmedabad hospital in December

As many as 85 infants have died during treatment at a government-run hospital in Ahmedabad in December last year, an official said on Sunday.

The infants' death rate stand at 18.68 per cent of the total children admitted at the Ahmedabad Civic Hospital in the month, GS Rathod, the hospital's superintendent said.

"In December, 455 newborns were admitted in the neonatal intensive care unit (ICU), of them, 85 died," Rathod said.

Rathod, however, said that the children's death saw an over six per cent decline compared to the deaths during December in the previous year -- 2018.

"Since it is a referral hospital and tertiary care centre, we receive children from far-flung areas of Gujarat. Due to this, the death rate is considerably high," the superintendent said.

He said that over 265 children were referred to Ahmedabad Civic Hospital from other hospitals, constituting over 58 per cent of the total number of children admitted.

He further said: "Due to availability of NICO, PICO and other facilities and prompt treatment by our doctors led to decrease from 25 per cent."

The official said that premature birth was a major reason behind the children's deaths.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who was in Vadodara, was seen evading reporters' question on the children deaths.