18 die in Maha hospital over 24 hrs; CM sets up 5-member probe panel

At least 18 patients died in the last 24 hours at the Thane municipal corporation-run hospital in Kalwa, prompting Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde to order a probe by a five-member committee

- Satish Nandgaonkar

Thirteen of the deceased were those admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa. The deaths came two days after the hospital reported five casualties on Thursday.

In March this year, chief minister Eknath Shinde suspended hospital dean Dr Yogesh Sharma and his deputy Dr Suchitkumar Kamkhedkar after resident doctors complained about poor facilities at their hostels.

"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," Thane municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar told reporters on Sunday. "I have briefed the chief minister on these deaths. A committee will be constituted for an impartial probe into this incident to find out if the patients received optimal treatment. Some of the patients were referred by other hospitals while 12 of the deceased were above the age of 50," he said.

"That is why a clinical investigation is important to determine what treatment they had received earlier."