NASHIK: A steady rise in the number of infant deaths at the Nashik Civil Hospital , mainly due to a shortage of incubators , has sparked off a debate on the sorry state of affairs at the facility.As many as 241 newborns died at the hospital in the last six months, with the highest number of 55 being recorded in August. The hospital authorities clarified on Friday that shortage of incubators was not the only reason for the infant deaths, as a number of newborns died during this period for reasons such as "preterm deliveries" and babies with less weight.Alarmed by the increasing number of infant deaths at the hospital, state health minister Deepak Sawant summoned district civil surgeon Suresh Jagdale to get a feedback on the issue. He also discussed issues related to the treatment offered at the hospital.At present, there are 18 incubators at the hospital, which is far less as the hospital gets about 50 cases of infants a day, many of whom are required to be kept in incubators.The hospital is often forced to keep two to three newborns in one incubator.Jadgale admitted that there are less incubators at the civil hospital, due to which some deaths have occurred. "But there are other factors that are equally responsible for the infant deaths in the hospital. There are cases of preterm deliveries or babies with weight less than 1.5 kg. Survival of such infants becomes a real challenge for us and many of them die," he said. He said infants admitted to the Special Newborn Care Unit are already serious. "Of the 55 deaths in August, two babies weighed just 500 grams, 18 newborns around 1kg and 29 were below 1.5 kg. Saving such underdeveloped infants is a major challenge, but we try our best, " the civil surgeon added.

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