Ventilators not functional, 8200 children dead in Safdarjung Hospital in last 5 yrs, reveals RTI

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to Union Health Secretary and Medical Superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital in the national capital on a complaint alleging that more than 8,200 children died at the institution in the last five years. The notice was sent on the basis of an RTI query which revealed that of the 18 ventilators available for children in the hospital, five were not functional.

The NHRC issued the notices returnable in four weeks on the complaint by RH Bansal alleging that more than 8,200 children up to the age of five years died during the last five years in Safdarjung Hospital.

The NHRC had received a complaint from RH Bansal who claimed that the RTI filed by him revealed the more than 8,200 children up to the age of five years died in Safdarjung Hospital in the last five years. He also alleged that of the 8,200 children who died, approximately 3,000 were newly-born.

The notice was sent on the basis of an RTI query which also alleged that conditions in the hospital were unhygienic and there was an acute shortage of essential services.

In his complaint, Bansal said that conditions in the hospital were unhygienic and there was an acute shortage of essential services. "He has also alleged that pregnant women were also dying in the hospital," an NHRC statement said.

The NHRC had on Thursday issued a notice to the Union Health Secretary on a complaint alleging that three government hospitals in the capital conducted illegal clinical drug trials on nearly 3,500 children during the last five years. The hospitals are Safdarjung Hospital (2,056 children), Kalawati Saran Children Hospital (1,023) and Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital (400).

(With additional information from PTI)

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