Medical services at Kota government hospital continue to be in shambles as death toll reaches 91

The medical services at the JK Lone Maternal and Child Hospital in Rajasthan's Kota district, where as many as dozen infants have died at the medical facility within the last five days taking the toll in December to 91, continues to be in shambles.

The condition of the infrastructure at the government hospital in Kota remains in worse condition as the medical facilities are ill equipped to handle the number of young patients at the hospital.

The family members of several children told India Today of severe crunch of staff, shortage of medical equipments and doctors not responding in a timely manner as the reason behind the shoddy state of affairs at the government hospital.

"There are many problems. There is a lot of unhygiene over here. That is the reason behind infection," Manish, the father of a patient at the hospital, told India Today.

Despite the deaths at the Kota hospital becaming a major political controversy, the hospital management seems to be in a state of slumber.

"In this hospital, the problem is lying with the infrastructure, that much of space is not there. That is the demand that we are continuously making. The treatment of sick patients is a different procedure. It is very difficult to save sick patients," Suresh Chand Dulara, Medical superintendent of JK Lone Hospital, told India Today on Sunday.

There is a shortage of medical staff, inadequate numbers of doctors, lack of medical equipments and resources including oxygen at the hospital.

There were two to three children on each bed in the ICU.

Lack of hygiene and leaking roofs were said to be the possible reason behind the spread of infection.

The JK Lone Hospital is the largest hospital in the Kota-Bundi parliamentary constituency, which is represented by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

Om Birla on Sunday had expressed concern over the death of infants at a government hospital in Kota district of Rajasthan and urged the state government to act with sensitivity.

"The untimely deaths of children have been a matter of concern as well as pain for us. There is lack of medical equipments, lack of space, great possibility of spread of infection. The entire JK Lon Hospital needs to be modernised. The state government should be sensitive. At a time when there are so many deaths in 48 hours or a month, then immediate action should be taken," Om Birla said.