A complaint has been lodged against Shyam Wakode, the Dean of Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital in Nanded district, Maharashtra, following multiple deaths at the hospital within a 48-hour span. The hospital superintendent and several doctors are also facing charges. Wakode was specifically accused in relation to the deaths of an infant and the child's mother. In total, the hospital recorded 31 deaths, including infants, within 48 hours starting from September 30, with six more deaths in the subsequent 24 hours.
While relatives of the deceased allege negligence and medicine shortage, Maharashtra Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif has promised an inquiry into the deaths and improvements to the hospital facilities within 15 days. He denied any medicine shortage and assured that any negligent individuals would face action.
The state government has been accused of 'criminal negligence' by the Congress party, questioning the timely procurement of necessary medicines. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde yesterday said his government had taken the deaths very seriously, but denied any medicine shortage.Yesterday, Shiv Sena MP Hemant Patil made the hospital's dean Shyamrao Wakode clean a dirty toilet at the government facility. A case has now been filed against the politician. Eknath Shinde has promised that the government will probe the Nanded incident and “not spare the culprits”.