MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Monday directed the Maharashtra government to submit a timeline for implementing short-term corrective measures recommended by an expert committee following a spate of patient deaths at government hospitals in Nanded and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad).
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne was hearing a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) initiated by the court based on media reports highlighting a series of deaths in the two hospitals, allegedly due to inadequate infrastructure and systemic lapses.
The five-member committee — comprising the secretary of the medical education department, director of health services, and deans from Grant Medical College, Nanded, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar — conducted an infrastructure and facility audit at Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital (Nanded) and Government Medical College Hospital (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar).
The panel audited 43 deaths reported in Nanded and noted that 76% of those patients were in critical condition upon arrival, often referred from private and peripheral government hospitals. Similar findings emerged in the 10 deaths reviewed in Sambhajinagar. The report highlighted a common pattern: referral of severely unstable patients without prior medical stabilisation.
Though the committee acknowledged that hospitals provided adequate care upon admission, it flagged serious challenges: overcrowded ICUs and NICUs, understaffed critical care units, and heavy patient inflow that stretched existing infrastructure.
“The basic infrastructure is under stress due to high patient load,” the report stated. “Shortage of trained personnel in critical care and high-dependency units was also observed.”
The court echoed these concerns but noted that the deaths were not solely due to negligence by hospital staff. “Hospitals delivered reasonable care despite receiving patients in extremely critical condition,” the bench observed, adding that the referral of unstable patients without stabilisation “remains a significant concern.”
To address these systemic gaps, the committee recommended urgent short-term measures, including recognition of extra working beds, one-time release of funds for medicines, immediate recruitment of trained staff, expanded availability of specialised services, and skill-based training across government medical colleges.
It also noted a marginal decrease in mortality rates: from 4.27% to 4.09% at Nanded between 2022 and 2024, and from 7.3% to 7.2% at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Short-term measures already implemented
Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital, Nanded
-NICU beds increased from 24 to 45; new paediatrics ward with 40 beds added
-Regular training for nursing staff, resident doctors, and newly joined faculty on hospital SOPs
-Adequate budget allocation ensured for drugs and surgical supplies
Government Medical College Hospital, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
-Three new 30-bed wards added in the medicine department
-ICU capacity expanded from 16 to 50 beds
-Regular training sessions for staff
-Bi-weekly mortality audits initiated