ISLAMABAD: The Punjab government admitted before the Supreme Court on Thursday its shortcomings in providing proper health facilities but said that poor health of mothers had also contributed to the recent high number of infant deaths at the DHQ Hospital in Sargodha. “It was observed that most of the children at DHQ Teaching Hospital, Sargodha, had died due to prematurity, low birth weight, septicaemia (blood poisoning) and birth asphyxia (suffocation),” said a report submitted to the court on behalf of the Punjab health secretary. Taking notice of the matter, Chief Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk had on Nov 25 ordered the health secretary to submit a report explaining reasons for the death of newborn babies within 48 hours. According to media reports, 19 newborn babies died at the DHQ Teaching Hospital last week because of lack of healthcare facilities, including oxygen supply and incubators. --- Report submitted to SC also blames poor health of mothers for recent death of infants --- Soon after the reports appeared in the media, the provincial health department constituted a five-member inquiry committee headed by Director Health Services Lahore Dr Mohammad Jameel to examine the record relating to admission/treatment of patients, status of equipment installed in the neonatal intensive care unit and data of medical or allied staff treating the infants. The committee was asked to fix responsibility for the alleged negligence. The findings of the committee, the report said, were analysed by a team of experts and it was found that the hospital had seven oxygen outlets in the neonatal ward which were connected with the central oxygen supply system. Shockingly, each source of oxygen supply was being used for multiple babies through locally modified tubing arrangements in a non-professional manner, the report said. During a visit to the hospital, the committee members found 50 babies on 12 beds with 18 of them oxygen dependent. There was no ventilator, the report said. Only four of the six baby warmers were functional and three phototherapy units were available. The health department suspended the hospital’s medical superintendent and initiated disciplinary proceedings against him under the Punjab Employees, Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act, 2006. The report said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had directed the health department to ensure provision of free medicines to the patients in accidents and emergency departments of the hospital. The health department deputed monitoring officers at the DHQ and tehsil headquarters hospitals to ensure supply of free medicines. Besides, teams consisting of professors, associate professors and senior registrars as well as trained nursing staff from the Punjab Medical College Faisalabad and Children’s Hospital Lahore have been deputed to provide specialised cover to the patients visiting paediatric ward and ICU of the DHQ Sargodha. The teams have also trained the doctors, nurses and allied staff working in the hospital. Most importantly, the report said, seven committees consisting of experts and public representatives had been constituted to identify issues and make recommendations for improving health facilities. The committees would come up with their recommendations in a week which would be submitted to the chief minister, the report added. Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2014Dawn News
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 03:50:41 +0000
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