Delhi BJP demands probe into death of infant at MCD hospital

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) The Delhi BJP on Friday urged Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena to order a probe into the death of a child allegedly due to negligence at the Kasturba Hospital of the MCD.

In a statement, BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor alleged that the death occurred on Thursday due to a ventilator failure at the hospital after a power outage.

"The hospital administration did not make any alternative arrangements for the ventilators or the operation theatre, resulting in the death of a child on a ventilator, after the outage," he charged.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) issued a statement saying, "It has been told that after delivery, the infant was not breathing. So he was kept on a ventilator in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) and his parents were being informed about his health condition." The power backup of the ventilators of the NICU was working continuously, it added.

"After being on the ventilator for five days, the child unfortunately died due to illness," the civic body said.

Kapoor said Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva has formed a team of party councillors, headed by Yogita Singh, that will visit the hospital on Saturday.

In a letter to the LG, Kapoor said, "Kasturba Gandhi Hospital is Asia's largest maternity hospital that was once a specialised treatment facility for women but is now going through a severe crisis." He also urged the LG to personally inspect the deteriorating condition of the hospital and order an investigation into the death of the child. PTI SHB VIT IJT