In a heart-wrenching turn of events, a total of 34 lives, including 12 newborn babies, were tragically lost in government hospitals in Maharashtra within the span of just 24 hours. The incidents unfolded in Nanded and Sambhajinagar’s Ghati Hospital, leaving a trail of sorrow and sparking a wave of outrage and investigations.

Amidst the deep grief and anguish, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde pledged to seek more information about the incidents, vowing that appropriate actions would be taken in response to the unfolding tragedy.

In the face of this devastating loss, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray expressed his concerns, stating, “After Nanded, now a hospital in Sambhajinagar, where eight patients have lost their lives, including two children. Another seven patients have passed away in Nanded.” He went on to assert that the state’s health system appeared to have faltered under the governance of the BJP. “They don’t have to be in power and run the government in Maharashtra,” he declared.

Congress leader Ashok Chavan raised alarm over the increasing death toll, stating that seven more patients had tragically lost their lives in the Government Medical College Hospital in Nanded since the previous day, bringing the total to 31. Chavan implored the state government to ascertain responsibility in this grave matter.

A three-member expert committee, appointed on Monday to investigate these heart-wrenching incidents, is poised to submit its findings on Tuesday afternoon.

Dr. Wakode, the Dean of Doctor Shanakarrao Chavan Hospital in Nanded, shared the distressing details, revealing that six male and female infants had succumbed in the last 24 hours. Additionally, 12 adults had lost their lives due to various ailments, including snake bites and phosphorous poisoning. Dr. Wakode acknowledged that the hospital often received emergency and critically ill patients from far-off areas, as there were no alternative healthcare facilities available within a 70-80km radius. He also pointed out that staff transfers had created challenges in procuring essential medicines, highlighting the tertiary-level status of the hospital.

– Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar extended his condolences to the families of the 24 individuals who lost their lives, emphasizing that such incidents underscored the failure of government systems. He called upon the state government to take concrete measures to prevent the recurrence of such tragic events.

– The Congress Party, too, criticized the BJP government for the heartbreaking deaths in Nanded’s government hospital. Senior party leader Rahul Gandhi decried the lack of investment in children’s medicines despite extravagant expenditures on publicity campaigns.

– Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra demanded strict action against those responsible and called for compensation to be provided to the affected families.

– Dr. Dilip Mhaisekar, Director of Medical Education and Research in Maharashtra, provided updates on the ongoing investigation, stating that the three-member expert committee from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar was expected to submit its report by 1 pm on Tuesday. Dr. Mhaisekar himself visited the hospital to personally review the matter.

– Senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan made an urgent appeal for the Shinde government to make necessary arrangements for medical staff and prioritize funding for the GMCH. He expressed his intention to approach state deputy chief minister and finance minister Ajit Pawar for immediate financial intervention, as the hospital was presently tending to 70 critically ill patients.

– As the nation grapples with this tragic loss of life, several opposition leaders expressed their dismay over the incidents. NCP MP Supriya Sule criticized the “triple engine sarkar” and called for a comprehensive investigation into each of these unfortunate deaths. She demanded the swift acceptance of the concerned minister’s resignation by CM Eknath Shinde.

– Priyanka Chaturvedi, leader of the Thackeray faction, referred to these deaths as ‘murder,’ attributing them to absolute negligence on the part of the state government.

– Dr. Kishore Rathod, Head of the Paediatrics Department at GMCH, reassured that nothing had gone awry within the hospital. He affirmed that critical patients had been referred to other hospitals and asserted that the hospital possessed all the necessary resources for effective treatment.

– The Dean of GMCH cited staff transfers and disruptions in sanctioned budgets as obstacles the hospital had faced, emphasizing that, as a tertiary-level facility, it catered to individuals who traveled great distances, often in critical conditions, seeking medical care. He underscored the hospital’s role in attending to emergency and extremely critical cases, an essential service in the region.