Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Yet another incident of rodents entering a neonatal unit at a hospital in Madhya Pradesh has come to the fore.
A video showing rats in the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of JP Hospital (District Hospital) here went viral on Monday, raising serious questions over hygiene and patient safety at the government health facility.
In the video, rats are seen moving openly inside the SNCU, a critical ward meant to treat newborns who develop illnesses soon after birth.
JP Hospital civil surgeon Dr Sanjay Jain said the administration has initiated a probe into the matter. "I will look into the matter. We have initiated an investigation into the matter."
According to doctors at JP Hospital, during the monsoon, flooded sewers and waterlogged ground leave rodents with no choice but to migrate to higher, dry places, including hospitals, which attract them as safe shelter.
Previous incidents
The problem of rats in government hospitals in Madhya Pradesh is not new. At Indore's Maharaja Yashwantrao (MY) Hospital, two newborns died after being bitten by rats in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in October 2025.
The infants suffered severe infections following the bites and died within two days. The incident shocked the state and drew national attention.
Following the outrage, the High Court took suo motu cognisance and issued notices to state authorities over the alleged negligence.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also intervened, directing state officials to investigate the lack of pest control.
Rodents at AIIMS Bhopal
Rodents were also reported at AIIMS Bhopal in April 2026. Rats were discovered breeding inside centralised AC ducts, corridors and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). More than 25 dead rats were removed during a three-day pest control drive.
