Three more patients died at the municipal-run Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital at Kalwa in Thane district, taking the toll to 21 since Saturday last, while authorities started moving patients who are not in a serious condition and new admissions to a civil hospital nearby if they are willing to be relocated, officials said on Monday.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital and announced Rs 71 crore funds for creation of various facilities to treat patients coming from rural parts of Thane district, and promised action against those responsible for the deaths.
Shinde, who was accompanied by civic chief Abhijit Bangar and district collector Ashok Shingare, said the patient deaths at the CSM Hospital, located in his political turf Thane, were painful and asked all parties to desist from indulging in politics on the issue.
Thane's additional municipal commissioner (in-charge of health services) Sandeep Malvi said in the 24-hour period ended on Monday morning, three more patients died at the civic-run hospital, while one patient was brought dead.
He, however, did not disclose causes of their death.
The number of deaths at the Kalwa-based hospital has come down in the last 24 hours and the details are being compiled and analysed, Malvi said.
The CSM Hospital had reported 18 deaths in a 24-hour period between Saturday and Sunday, following which Chief Minister Shinde ordered setting up of an independent committee to carry out a probe into the clinical aspect of the deaths.
With this, 21 patients have died at the municipal corporation-run facility since Saturday last.
The CSM Hospital was "over-loaded" and treating nearly 600 patients per day against its capacity of 500, as per officials.
The Civil Hospital located nearby in the city is being renovated, so the load falls on the Kalwa facility, former Thane mayor Naresh Mhakse, who is also spokesperson of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, said on Sunday.
Dr Aniruddha Malgaonkar, medical superintendent of the CSM Hospital, on Monday said the option of shifting patients to the civil hospital has been left to them.
"We will shift only those patients who are recovering and from among the new admissions," he said.
The CSM Hospital admits around 150 new patients per day, which has heavily increased its load, he claimed.
The Civil Hospital, located at a short distance from the CSM Hospital, has a capacity of 350 beds and its occupancy is about 50 per cent, as per officials.
Asked about three deaths reported in the last 24 hours compared to 18 in the previous one day, a civic official said on Saturday and a couple of days before it, some extremely serious patients were admitted to the CSM Hospital.
The deaths of patients happened in a short span, and hence attracted public attention, he said.
Most of those among the 18 deceased patients were over 50 years of age and many were referred to the CSM Hospital from private medical facilities, the official said.
"There is absolutely no medical negligence," he said, adding the hospital staff is extremely co-operative.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Shinde on Monday visited the CSM Hospital and interacted with patients, their relatives and also reviewed the current staff and requirement of additional personnel to manage the influx of patients.
Speaking to reporters later, Shinde said, “I have sanctioned Rs 71 crore for creation of more facilities at the hospital as well as at the mental hospital in Thane city, where general patients are treated. The Thane city's civil hospital is under construction hence its health services are shifted to premises of the mental hospital.”
"The bed capacity of the civil hospital was 366 and it will be increased by 100 soon. The bed capacity of the Kalwa hospital would also be increased," said Shinde, who is the MLA from Kopri-Pachpakhadi in Thane district.
Asked about the CSM Hospital allegedly lacking in providing adequate medical services to patients, the chief minister said this was not the case.
“The hospital has already admitted more patients than its capacity. Additional staff to handle patients will be made available soon,” he added.
Asked what action the government would take against those responsible for the death of so many patients, he said those found guilty will be punished.
“The inquiry committee report is expected to be out by August 25. Those found guilty will face action. The patients who died due to negligence, their kin will get some compensation from the state government,” said Shinde.
"I do not want to comment on the medical staff here as they are facing a lot of work pressure. I do not want to demoralise them," said the chief minister.
A nine-member committee set up by the Maharashtra government is looking into the deaths at the CSM Hospital.
The panel, headed by health commissioner Dheeraj Kumar, has been asked to submit a report by August 25, as per an order issued by the state health department.
The state government had recently sanctioned Rs 60 crore for infrastructure improvement of the CSM Hospital, a senior official said.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Thane Municipal Corporation chief Bangar said the bed capacity of the hospital will be doubled from 500 to 1,000, while good hostel facilities will be provided for resident doctors.
In the 2022-23 TMC budget, a sum of Rs 317.20 crore was earmarked for health, of which Rs 10 crore was for improving facilities at the CSM Hospital and the Rajiv Gandhi Medical College located on its premises, he said.
