Govt hospitals dens of vested interests: Mamata

The government has undertaken an exercise to revamp the health department to improve infrastructure and services,she said. “Although the hospital authorities are insisting that the deaths occurred because of enteric diseases and that they (babies) were brought at the last stage,I have asked them to declare the name of the disease.”

A committee comprising two doctors has been formed to look into the deaths and Home Secretary G D Gautama has been asked to submit a report within 24 hours,Banerjee said. “If any medical negligence is proved in the case,nobody will be spared from top to bottom and we will not see any political colour.”

Banerjee noted that 75 babies had died in the same hospital previously and the authorities had pleaded that it was “normal”.

She said her government had in the last one month commissioned 3,500 additional beds in state-run hospitals. “Already a decision has been taken to upgrade several sub-divisional hospitals into district hospitals. I have noticed that many illegal activities are running in hospitals and ordered those should be vacated to make room for the expansion,” Banerjee said.

She said the Centre had been urged to release funds for opening block-wise diagnostic centres for rural hospital development under the rural health mission. “The state is entitled to get Rs 1,200 crore for development of rural hospitals. The process will take some more time. I am looking into the matter seriously,” she said.