18 patients dead in 48 hours at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Thane; Maharashtra govt seeks report

Due to lack of required number of staff and resources, the administration of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa, Thane, are not able to provide adequate treatment. The death of 17 patients in just 12 hours raised concerns among the leaders of the ruling Shiva Sena (Shinde) as the incident happened in the CM's stronghold.

Thane/Pune (Maharashtra): The administration of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa, Thane, has again found itself in the midst of controversy. At least 18 patients have died in this hospital in just 48 hours.

Sharing details, Thane Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar told reporters, "18 deaths have been reported in the last 48 hours. Some of the patients, who have died were already receiving treatment for various ailments including chronic kidney disease, pneumonia, kerosene poisoning, road accident and other reasons."

According to the TMC chief, he has briefed Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on these deaths. "A committee will be constituted for an impartial investigation into this incident to find out if the patients received optimal treatment," added Bangar, an IAS officer.

It is understood that of the 18 patients, 12 died in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). There has been a huge chaos in hospital administration, insufficient manpower and doctors and a huge increase in the number of patients. As a result, many people lost their lives in a single night. The hospital administration said that some of the patients died after they came from private hospitals at the last moment. "Some of them were over 80 years of age. But since the closure of the civil hospital, all the patients from the Thane district are coming here, so there is a shortage of doctors and medical facilities," the officials admitted.

Maharashtra Health Minister Tanaji Sawant said the dean of the hospital has been asked to submit a report in two days. "Action will be taken as per the report of the dean. This hospital comes under the state medical education and research department. Its minister Hasan Mushrif has reached the hospital and he is looking into the matter," Sawant told reporters in Pune.

About five people died in the same hospital on August 10 in a single day. At that time, local Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Jitendra Awad and leaders of other parties went to the hospital and protested.

Thane district is the Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's stronghold. Thane Municipal Corporation is under the control of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Therefore, the deaths in Chhatrapati Shivaji Hospital have raised concerns among the leaders and cadres of Shiv Sena (Shinde faction).

Jitendra Awhad said the hospital was mismanaged and asked the administration to set things right before it was too late. Former Thane mayor Naresh Mhakse, who is also spokesperson of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, said the hospital was "over-loaded" and was treating 650 patients per day against a capacity of 500.

Another Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) official said the deaths were being analysed and several civic officials are at the heavily-patronised facility for inspection of records etc. A few months ago, suspension action was taken against the dean of the Hospital after an inspection. (With PTI inputs)