More trouble for Muzaffarpur hospital as roof outside ICU collapses, encephalitis death toll reaches 109

Trouble mounted for Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital in Bihar's Muzaffarpur, where over 100 children have died due to acute encephalitis syndrome, as the roof outside its Intensive Critical Unit collapsed on Sunday.

Amid reports of lack of basic facilities at SKMCH, one of the biggest government-run hospitals in Bihar, the roof outside the ICU collapsed on Sunday.

Sunil Kumar Shahi, Superintendent at SKMCH, said a patch of plaster from the roof fell off and nobody was injured during the incident.

"A patch of plaster from the roof fell off and nobody has been injured. It's not inside any ward but around the verandah area. ICU is in between ward number 6-7 but the patch fell between ward number 5-6," Sunil Kumar Shahi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

SKMCH has been in the news for all the wrong reasons as 109 children admitted here with AES or Japanese encephalitis have died since June 1. On Sunday, the SKMCH accounted for 109 of the 129 encephalitis deaths at the government-run hospital in Muzaffarpur.

Meanwhile, a senior doctor at the SKMCH in Bihar was suspended for negligence after over 100 children died at the Muzaffarpur hospital due to lack of treatment.

The AES is a viral disease that causes flu-like symptoms such as high fever, vomiting and in extreme cases, brain dysfunction, seizure, and inflammation of heart and kidney.

Earlier, a report stated that SKMCH facility where most of the deaths have occurred have just 600 beds but more than 900 patients were reportedly admitted in the hospital; a third of them were children. Lack of medical equipment and hygiene have also plagued the Muzaffarpur hospital which witnesses frequent power cuts, leading to delay in treatment.

RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh claimed that there are no basic facilities in Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital. "Nobody can roam in the hospital without covering their nose, there is no beds, fans and water facility in the hospital, and is that a hospital?," Raghuvansh Prasad Singh asked.

On Saturday, SKMCH was also dragged into another controversy where skeletal remains were discovered lying in open in a forest near the government-run hospital. One or two of the dead bodies were found charred and many skeletons were found strewn on the ground or stuffed into sacks in the forest area, according to ANI report.

"After post-mortem, all the bodies are dumped in the forest behind the hospital. I never tried to ask the authorities about these skeletons," Janak Paswan, caretaker of the SKMCH, told news agency ANI.

Superintendent SK Shahi said it was "inhuman" if the hospital authorities have dumped the bodies in open. "The post-mortem department takes care of the dead bodies. This is really inhuman if they have dumped the bodies in open. We will ask their department head to call an inquiry regarding the matter," SK Shahi was quoted as saying by ANI.

(With inputs from agencies)