8 more children die at NBMCH

SNS, SILIGURLI,  10 OTOBER 21 :Eight children died at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) in the past 24 hours, sources said today.

Among the deaths, one seven-month-old child from Malbazar died of sepsis and severe and acute respiratory infections (ARI), they said. He had been admitted in the hospital on 6 October. Most of the seven others died due to sepsis, preterm and lowbirth weights, the sources said.

This is perhaps the highest number of children's deaths at the NBMCH in a 24-hour period in the recent past. The unabated deaths have given rise to concerns from several quarters.

NBMCH sources said a one-month-four-day-old baby from Jalpaiguri died because of severe sepsis, preterm, and low birth weight, a 13-day-old child of Bihar died of postoperative case of intestinal obstructions, a two-day-old child of Bagdogra died due to low birth weight and prematurity, a five-day-old child from Banarhat, Jalpaiguri, died of lowbirth weight, a 12 day-old child from Banarhat, Nagrakata, died of perinatal asphyxia, a two-day-old child of Phansidewa near Siliguri died of sepsis and low birth weight, while the cause of the death of an 11-day-old baby of Naxalbari was Hirschsprung's disease, a condition of the large intestine (colon) that causes difficulty passing stool.

Meanwhile, 31 children have been admitted in the paediatric ward in the NBMCH in the past 24 hours, of them eight suffering from fever and ARI, sources said.