Indore's MY Hospital horror: Another newborn bitten by rats dies

The second newborn who had been bitten by rats at Maharaja Yeshwantrao (MY) Hospital in Indore has died, hospital authorities confirmed on Wednesday. The baby girl had been suffering from multiple congenital anomalies since birth, according to Deputy Superintendent Dr Jitendra Verma.

“Seven days ago, our surgeons had operated on her. She developed septicemia and her condition became critical. Despite our best efforts, she passed away this afternoon. The cause of death was septicemia, and not rat bite,” Dr Verma was quoted by The Indian Express as saying.

Hospital officials said the infant was only three days old when she was admitted and weighed just 1.6 kg. Clarifying the circumstances of the rat bite, Dr. Verma emphasised that it was not the cause of death. “The child was bitten on her fingertip, which resulted in a minor abrasion. There was no serious injury from the bite,” he added.

The baby’s family declined a postmortem examination, stating that they were already aware of her critical health condition. They chose to take the body home for the last rites.

This death follows the earlier passing of the first newborn on Tuesday, who had also been admitted to the neonatal ICU with severe congenital complications. That baby’s parents could not be traced at the time. Both infants had been shifted to another facility after the rat bite incident.

In response to the situation, hospital authorities have taken strict disciplinary actions. Two nursing officers have been suspended, a nursing superintendent has been removed, and show-cause notices were issued to the nursing officer in charge and the head of paediatric surgery.

A high-level inquiry committee has been set up to investigate the matter thoroughly. Dr Verma also said that staff have been instructed to immediately report any sightings of rodents and to coordinate closely with the hospital’s pest control agency.

Additionally, the private cleaning and pest control firm contracted by MY Hospital has been issued a warning and fined Rs 1 lakh.