Bhopal: Show-cause notices have been issued to four doctors and around 20 nursing officers after a video showing rats inside the Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Government District Hospital in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna district triggered public outrage and raised serious concerns over hygiene standards in government healthcare facilities.
The action follows an internal review of CCTV footage from the SNCU. According to the news reports, the footage that went viral shows rodents moving freely inside the neonatal unit that caters to critically ill newborns. In response to public backlash, district health officials initiated disciplinary proceedings against the staff posted in the unit.
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Speaking to TOI, Amar Singh, a civil surgeon at Satna district hospital, said that CCTV footage was examined in detail and show-cause notices were issued to doctors and nursing staff deployed in the SNCU. He said the video appeared, prima facie, to have been recorded by hospital staff themselves. While pest control arrangements were already in place, additional instructions were now issued to further strengthen preventive measures.
The incident has further intensified scrutiny of Satna district hospital, which is already facing a state-level investigation after six children suffering from thalassaemia were found to be HIV-positive. The infections are suspected to be linked to contaminated blood transfusions.
Medical Dialogues had previously reported that Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Rajendra Shukla has ordered a probe after six children with thalassemia tested positive for HIV, which officials suspect was transmitted through contaminated blood transfusions at different hospitals in Satna district.
A state-level probe into the hospital’s blood bank and transfusion practices is currently underway.
Also Read:MP: Six thalassaemia children test HIV-positive after blood transfusions