Two new-born babies, who were on baby warmers at the district hospital in Baramulla in North Kashmir, died last night as hospital authorities refused to start generator after electricity supply to the hospital went off.
The incident has caused outrage in the Valley prompting the health authorities to order a high-level probe.
The probe committee, headed by the deputy director Heath Services Kashmir, has been directed to submit the report on Monday, December 17.
The infants, soon after their birth on Friday, were kept on baby warmers in the newly set up Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU), in the hospital. They were suffering from asphyxia.
The relatives of the infants said that on Saturday evening electricity to the hospital went off.
They said the hospital authorities did not bother to start the generator for at least four hours leading to the death of both the neonates.
At present, Kashmir Valley is reeling under severe cold and temperature in the evening dips to minus two degrees.
“We pleaded with hospital authorities that they should start the generator but they remained unmoved. We saw our babies dying but couldn’t do anything,” said one of the relatives of the infants.
Sources said the directorate of health services had sent three nurses to New Delhi for special training to operate SNCU.
However, after their posting in the hospital, the nurses would take their duty casually. On Saturday evening, none of the three trained nurses was in the ward, sources said.
The director, health services, Dr. Saleem-ur-Rehman said that the allegations were serious.
“They say the babies died after electricity went off and the generator was not started. We have constituted a team to probe the incident. The team will submit its report on Monday and we will act upon the report,” the director said.
