Gorakhpur: Seventy children died at Baba Raghav Das Hosp in 5 days

Seventy children have died at the state-run Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur in the first five days of November. Premature birth, low birth weight and septicemia are the reasons being given by hospital.

Dr DK Srivastava, head of the hospital’s community medicine department, said that among the 70 dead, the maximum, 18, were reported on November 3. Nearly 257 children were being treated in the paediatric wards on November 3.



While 13 deaths were reported on November 1, 12 deaths on November 2, 15 deaths on November 4 and 12 death till November 5 midnight, Srivastava said. “Various reasons, including premature birth, infection and septicemia among others are responsible for the deaths… then, most patients are admitted in a critical condition from far-off districts,” Srivastava maintained.

“We are catering to a population of around 5 crore in eastern UP, western Bihar and Nepal. Premature babies first go to local doctors and then come to us in a critical condition. Despite our best efforts, at least one-third of the children die,” he added.