It seems that everything is not okay at the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) run Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital (CSMH) in Kalwa where 18 patients have died in just 12 hours that is from Saturday, August 12 at around 10:30 pm till Sunday, August 13 at around 9:30 am.
On August 10, around five deaths were recorded in just one day. The Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the CSMH on March 4 and seeing the poor facilities at the hospital suspended the dean Dr Yogesh Sharma and Deputy Dean Dr Suchitkumar Kamkhedkar. Howevr, it seems that even after five months the hospital management did not learned lesson and it did not give attention to the CM orders and the reason 23 deaths occured in just three days time.
Thane healthcare system still has lacunae
CM Eknath Shinde is from Thane and the Thanekars expected that the face of Thane will change after Shinde took the charge but the health system in Thane still has some lacunae.
The FPJ was first to report the incident on Sunday morning and it was followed by the rest of the media. Soon after the news spread, political leaders from Shiv-Sena of Eknath Shinde faction, UBT Shiv-Sena, Nationalist Congress Party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leaders visited the hospital and met the management and also the relatives of the patients.
The TMC Commissioner Abhijit Bangar who reached the hospital at around 3:30 pm took the review of the situation and while addressing the media said, "It is very unfortunate that 18 patients have died in the last 24 hours at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa. Soon after reaching the hospital I tried to get all the information regarding the unfortunate deaths.
As per the initial information received from the concerned authorities of the hospital most of the patients who died were critical. Also in CSMH hospital patients come not only from Thane city but from all Thane districts. Of the 18 patients who died ten were women and eight were men, of which six are from Thane city, four from Kalyan, three from Shahpur, one each from Bhiwandi and Ulhasnagar in Thane district and one each from Govanadi and Saki Naka in Mumbai and one patient is unidentified who was brought by the police. Twelve of the dead were above the age of 50 and 6 were below 50. Few patients were getting treatment from the last 6-8 days and few patients were just admitted."
Maharashtra Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar holds press conference over the deaths of patients at the CSMH. | Prashant Narvekar
CM Shinde orders setting up of probe committee
Earlier the CSMH chief medical officer and superintendent Aniruddha Malgaonkar and state health minister Tanaji Sawant and Thane Zone-1 deputy commissioner of police Ganesh Gawde had put the number of deaths at 17.
Bangar said, "The Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde had a word with me and he also spoke with the Thane district collector Ashok Shingare and he took feedback about the situation and had ordered the setting up of an independent probe committee for the impartial investigation of the 18 deaths. The committee which will be formed for the investigation will be headed by the commissioner of health services and it will include Thane district collector, TMC commissioner, director of the health services, interventionist at state-run J J Hospital in Mumbai and also a civil surgeon. The committee will carry out the probe into the clinical aspect of the deaths. The line of treatment will be probed and also the statements of the kin of the deceased will be recorded. The allegations of negligence levelled by some kin is a serious matter and as I am part of the investigation committee I will make sure that they should be heard and also the probe committee will look into it."
"One of the major issues which the CSMH is facing is manpower shortage and we are working on it. There were some around 20 vacancies for the nurses post and we appointed some 40 nurses. Nurses are very important to the patients after treatment. As of now the Covid is endemic and the patients of Covid are very less and I think that they are taking treatment at home so we shifted all the 400-500 staff of Covid to CSMH hospital. CMSH is a 500 bed hospital and many patients from private hospitals or where there are no facilities are referred here which is putting a burden on the hospital staff. We have received the funds of around Rs 60 crore for the upgradation of the hospital and in another 10-12 months the CSMH hospital will be upgraded for better facilities. Also we are aiming to have a 24 hour post mortem facility here at the hospital" informed Bangar.
Investigation into the patient deaths
The patients who died here were having complications like two patients were of kidney stone, two were of paralysis and stroke, two were of chronic lung disease, two patients were of heart disease, one patient was suffering from ulcer complications, one patient was of pneumonia, one patient was of traffic accident, one patient was of kerosene poisoning and one patient of septicemia and few cases of viral fever said the TMC chief.
Sandeep Malvi, additional commissioner, TMC said that, "The deaths were being analysed and several civic officials are at the heavily patronised facility for inspection of records etc."
Kalwa's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital | Prashant Narvekar
Ganesh Gawde, deputy commissioner of police, Zone-1, Thane said, "We received information about 17 deaths in the last 24 hours. We were told that the usual figure per day is six to seven. The hospital management told us some of the patients arrived there in a critical stage and succumbed during treatment. Some were elderly. As from morning many relatives gathered at the hospital along with the political leaders we have increased the police presence at the hospital to avoid any untoward incident due to these high numbers of deaths."
Tanaji Sawant, health minister who was in Pune said, "It is sad that 18 deaths took place in just one day. A total of 13 patients were in the ICU. Earlier on Thursday, August 10 five patients had died in the same hospital. The state government has asked the dean to submit a report in just two days' time. Action will be initiated against the culprits as per the report of the dean. The hospital comes under the state medical education and research department and its minister Hasan Mushrif too reached the hospital to review the situation."
State School Education and Marathi Language Minister Deepak Kesarkar said, "I immediately came to Mumbai by plane after receiving a call from the Chief Minister. The government has appointed a committee to conduct an impartial and transparent inquiry into the incident. Commissioner of Health Department Dheeraj Kumar, district collector Ashok Shingare, TMC Commissioner Abhijit Bangar, director of directorate of health, expert of intensive care department, district surgeon will be the members of this committee.I have ordered this committee to submit the inquiry report at the earliest."
Kesarkar added, "Post mortem is done on the dead person. Out of 18 dead people, 8 patients were in critical condition. When the medical condition of these patients is not known, post-mortem is done. Death of 18 patients is a major incident. Even if a patient dies, it is tragic. Although the capacity of this hospital is 500 patients, 588 patients are kept in this hospital. The district hospital has a capacity of 350 beds but 150 beds are understaffed. The Thane civil hospital is not closed but it has been shifted to the place of a mental hospital, instructions/direction boards should be put up where the work of the civil hospital is going on, so that it will help to reduce the pressure on the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Thane."
"The 500-bed hospital receives patients with serious illnesses. The number of Intensive Care Unit was earlier 20, now it has been increased to 48. Patients who are being treated in private hospitals are referred to these hospitals when they become serious. In case of natural death, the relatives of the patient cannot be helped. Minister Deepak Kesarkar also said that if there is laxity during the treatment, and this is proved in the report, strict action will be taken against the guilty. We share in the grief of the relatives of the deceased" added Kesarkar.
Maharashtra leaders react
Girish Mahajan, BJP leader said, "18 deaths in just 24 hours in a TMC run hospital with a capacity of 500 beds is really a matter of concern and it should be looked into on a priority basis."
Jitendra Awhad, NCP leader and MLA from the region said, "On Thursday 5 deaths in a day and again now from 12 August at around 10:30 pm to 13 August at around 9:30 am 18 deaths is not a small thing. It seems that the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital of TMC is not learning from its past mistakes. Also the CM Eknath Shinde's orders are not followed. The hospital is totally mismanaged by the present management and things should be set right before it will be too late."
Aditi Tatkare, Women and Child development minister who visited the hospital said, "Thorough investigation will be conducted into the incident. Necessary measures will be taken to prevent such incidents from happening again. The incident is certainly unfortunate. Immediate measures should be taken to prevent deterioration of health facilities. Action will be taken against those who are guilty in the incident."
Former Mayor of Thane Naresh Mhaske who is also a spokesperson of the Eknath Shinde led Shiv-Sena said, " The hospital was overloaded and was treating 650 patients per day against a capacity of 500. The civil hospital in Thane area is being renovated and has also been shifted so now all the load falls on CSMH in Kalwa."
The local MNS leader Avinash Jadhav and also Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray led Shiv-Sena leader Kedar Dighe too went to the hospital in the afternoon and sought proactive measures to improve the efficiency at the hospital.
Collector Ashok Shingare has also said that he himself is in constant contact with CM Eknath Shinde and Guardian Minister Shamburaj Desai and necessary action is being taken as per their instructions. Careful attention is being paid to ensure that the relatives of the deceased are not inconvenienced.
Guardian Minister Shambhuraj Desai took information about the incident in Kalwa Hospital through TMC chief Abhijit Bangar and Thane district collector Ashok Shingare and he has expressed his condolences to the families who have lost their relatives in this case.
Deceased identified
The names of the deceased are as follows
1. Geeta (age unknown)
2. Zayda Sheikh (60 years)
3. Sunita Indulkar (70 years)
4. Tarabai Hari Gage (56 years)
5. Bhanumati Padhi (83 years)
6. Sanadi Sabira Mohammad Hussain (66 years)
7. Ninad Ramesh Lokur (52 years)
8. Bhaskar Bhimrao Chabuswar (33 years)
9. Amarin Abdul Kalam Ansari (33 years)
10. Ashok Jaiswal (53 years)
11. Lord Damu Potdar (65 years)
12. Abdul Rahim Khan (58 years)
13. Sunil Tukaram Patil (55 years)
14. Lalitabai Shankar Chavan (42 years)
15. Chetak Sunil Gode (4 years)
16. Ashok Balkrishna Nichal (81 years)
17. Noor Jahan Khan (60 years)
18. Kalpana Jairam Humane (65 years)
