MJN HOSPITAL

MJN Hospital's 'no' to room heaters in children ward

All the districts of North Bengal are shivering due to the ongoing cold wave. Realising the suffering of the school children the state government has announced special vacation in the schools. But the MJN Hospital authority in Cooch Behar is still indifferent about saving the child-patients from the severe cold. Though there are room heaters in the hospital for the children ward, the authority has disallowed their installation. Following the attitude, the doctors, nurses and other health workers expressed their resentment over the matter.

 

Maharaja Jitendra Narayan Hospital is the district hospital of Cooch Behar district. Not only patients come here from all sub-divisions of the district but they come from neighbouring areas like Alipurduar and even from Assam. The children ward of the hospital is the most crowed one. Here the number of patients is more than double of the beds round the year. The situation turned worsened this winter. There is no room heater to keep the new-borns and other child patients warm in this ward. A senior child specialist associated with the MJN Hospital alleged that there are seven electric room heaters meant for the ward but the hospital disallowed their use in the ward. When the state government declared special vacation to save the school children and incidents of a few children's death occurred at Malda Medical College Hospital due to non-functioning of room warmers, the MJN Hospital authority disallowed use of room heaters in the children ward. Now, if any death happens here due to cold the responsibility might be passed over to the doctors and others, the doctor said.

 

The president of the Cooch Behar Rogi Kalyan O Suraksha Samiti, Narayan Modak too expressed his anger over the issue. He said that they will draw the attention of the state Health minister and health secretary if the MJN Hospital authority fails to install room warmers in the children ward immediately.

 

The newly appointed superintendent of the hospital, Dr Jaydeb Barman however argued that he disallowed the installation of electric room heaters as that may invite troubles. The room heaters are meant for use on the floor, not for hanging on the walls. If any child or any other person touches the 'naked' electrical equipment, that may be fatal. And so, he disallowed the use of these heaters. "I suggested the mothers and guardians of child patients to cover up their children with warm clothes and keep the doors and windows of the ward closed", he said. At the same time he said that buying of hanging room heaters with permission from higher authorities is a time consuming matter and that may not be possible during this winter. That may be possible in next year, he hoped.