In a heartbreaking incident at a state-run hospital in Maharashtra’s Nanded, 12 newborns and 12 adults lost their lives within the last 24 hours. The hospital’s dean attributed the tragic deaths to a severe shortage of medicines and inadequate hospital staff.

Of the 24 deaths in the past day, 12 adults had been suffering from various ailments, primarily snakebites, according to the dean of Nanded’s Shankarrao Chavan Government Hospital.

He lamented, “Six male and six female infants perished in the past 24 hours, along with twelve adults who succumbed to various illnesses, primarily snakebites. We encountered difficulties as various staff members were being transferred.”

The dean further explained, “We serve as a tertiary-level care center and are the sole such facility within a 70 to 80-kilometer radius. Consequently, patients come to us from distant areas. Some days witness a surge in patient numbers, straining our budget.”

He added, “There is an institute called Haffkine, from which we are supposed to procure medicines, but that didn’t happen. Nevertheless, we did manage to purchase medicines locally and provide them to the patients.”

Expressing his condolences, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde vowed to investigate the situation further and take appropriate action.

In response to the tragic incident, the opposition in Maharashtra sharply criticized the state government, with Congress veteran Ashok Chavan emphasizing the need for a thorough examination. Chavan stated, “A total of 24 lives were lost. Seventy are still in critical condition. There is a shortage of medical facilities and staff.

Many nurses were transferred, and their replacements were not provided. Many machines are non-functional. While the hospital’s capacity is 500, it currently has 1,200 patients. I will discuss this with Ajit Pawar (about this). The government should scrutinize the matter closely and take control of the situation.”

Supriya Sule, Sharad Pawar’s daughter, held the government responsible for the tragic deaths, emphasizing the need for accountability: “The triple-engine government is responsible for the deaths of all 24 innocent people. They should be held accountable.”

This devastating incident follows another tragedy in August when 18 patients lost their lives in 24 hours at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa, Thane. The patients were afflicted with various conditions, including kidney stones, chronic paralysis, ulcers, pneumonia, kerosene poisoning, and septicemia, among others. Subsequently, authorities relocated non-critical patients and ceased new admissions at the hospital.