Public outrage grows as hospital denies rat bites caused fatalities
Indore: In the wake of the deaths of two newborns at Indore’s Maharaja Yashwantrao (MY) Hospital, Commissioner of Medical Education Tarun Rathi visited the facility on Thursday to review the situation. A state-level inquiry team has been constituted to investigate allegations that rat bites contributed to the tragic fatalities inside the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Immediate Administrative Action
During his visit, Rathi ordered strict measures, including penalising and issuing a termination notice to the private pest control agency responsible for rodent management. A new officer, Dr. Jitendra Verma, has been appointed in charge of pest control with instructions to carry out daily inspections in sensitive wards, especially the NICU.
The hospital has also initiated sealing of gaps and holes in pipelines to prevent rodent entry.
Hospital Denies Rat Bite as Cause of Death
Despite the uproar, hospital authorities maintain that the rat bites were not responsible for the deaths.
Dr. Brajesh Lahoti, Head of Pediatric Surgery, said one infant succumbed to a severe intestinal infection while the other, weighing just 1.4 kg, died due to congenital deformities. “Rat bites cannot be the cause of death,” he stressed, according to TOI.
Political Storm Erupts
The hospital’s defence has done little to quell public anger. Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led state government, calling the deaths “outright murder”.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi wrote: “This is no accident, this is murder. A child was snatched from a mother’s lap simply because the government failed in its most basic duty.”
Rising Concerns Over Hygiene Standards
The incidents have highlighted grave concerns over hygiene, safety, and negligence in one of Madhya Pradesh’s largest public hospitals. Civil society groups and opposition leaders have demanded accountability, with calls for a transparent, independent investigation into hospital management practices.
