15 newborns die in Assam in six days, probe ordered

Jorhat/ Guwahati: At least 15 newborns have died at Jorhat Medical College and Hospital (JMCH) in upper Assam between November 1 and 6, prompting the state health department to rush a team to investigate the matter, officials said on Friday.
The hospital authorities have also formed a committee to look into the matter, they said.
According to JMCH Superintendent Saurav Borkakoti, 15 newborns have died at the special care newborn unit of the hospital between November 1 and 6.
Borkakoti, however, claimed the deaths were not due to medical negligence or neglect.
The hospital has formed a six-member committee to probe the deaths, Borkakoti said.
Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that a team of experts, including the director of medical education assisted by UNICEF and a paediatric doctor from Gauhati Medical College and Hospital along with another doctor of Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh will investigate the deaths. (PTI)