Alarm Bells Ring as Nanded Medical College Deaths Spotlight Maharashtra’s Public Health Woes
Pune, 20th October 2023: A recent fact-finding investigation by Jan Arogya Abhiyan into the Government Medical College hospital (GMC) in Nanded has exposed systemic healthcare issues affecting the entire region. The probe comes on the heels of an alarming 24 deaths within a 24-hour period between September 30 and October 1, 2023, a rate significantly higher than the typical 9-12 daily deaths.
The team comprising medical experts Dr. Rajesh Mane, Dr. Ashok Belkhode, Dr. Kishore Khilare, Dr. Swati Rane, and Dr. Abhay Shukla, inspected various healthcare facilities in Nanded including GMC Hospital, Civil Hospital, Women’s Hospital, and an Urban CHC. They concluded that GMC Hospital is massively overburdened, a situation exacerbated by the inadequacies of healthcare facilities at the district level. Notably, 11 of the 24 deaths occurred among newborns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), a department plagued by chronic under-staffing and inadequate infrastructure.
The NICU, designed for only five beds, accommodates 20 cradles and frequently admits over 60 newborns, leading to two to three infants sharing a single cradle. Nursing levels are critically low, with only 2-3 nurses per shift as opposed to the recommended 10. Junior residents are often required to work around-the-clock, compromising patient care.
The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) mirrors the NICU’s issues: 613 admissions last month for 35 beds, only three nurses per shift, and insufficient sanitation staff. Private hospitals have been noted for “dumping” terminally ill patients at GMC, contributing to the spike in mortality rates.
Nanded’s Civil Hospital, with just 100 beds for a district of over 34 lakh people, also fails to meet healthcare demands, thus pushing the load onto GMC. Even the Women’s Hospital and the Urban CHC are ill-equipped to handle the crisis, often referring complicated cases to GMC.
This healthcare crisis is not restricted to Nanded. Deficient healthcare facilities across the district and the surrounding regions result in GMC serving as a de facto referral hub, straining its already scarce resources.
The study identifies the root cause of the crisis as the lack of political priority given to public health services, and the push for healthcare privatization. It calls for urgent action such as public audits, increasing the health budget, and holding political leadership accountable for these systemic failures.
The Jan Arogya Abhiyan report serves as a grim wake-up call, pointing to the urgent need for an overhaul in public healthcare policy, not just in Nanded but across Maharashtra.
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