new born hospital
New-born baby girl of Bhuri Kalbi, 33, lies inside a hospital in India. [Representational Image]Reuters File

At least 14 infants died after being treated at Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS) and Hospital, Bilaspur.

The hospital, which treated at least 50 women in November after they underwent sterilisation surgery in government-organised camps in Bilaspur district, has now been accused of carelessness by parents who took their newborns to the hospital for treatment. 

A resident of Kalmitar village, Shyamu took his twin sons to CIMS for treatment. However, their health deteriorated, and the babies died a few days later. The twins were born on 30 November. 

"We were not allowed to see the infants while they were being treated. Only when my nephews died, we were able to see them," NDTV quoted Shyamu's sister Kewra Bai as saying. She blamed the hospital staff for the children's death.

"The hospital staff has been careless. As soon as the babies died, the nurses started pressurising us to leave the hospital," Bai said.

While Chief Minister Raman Singh admitted that it was the fault of the hospital staff, Health Minister Amar Agrawal claimed that there were no problem with the medical treatment provided to the infants.

"The divisional collector and I investigated the infant deaths in Bilaspur. The doctors are not at fault and proper medical treatment was given to the infants," Agrawal said.

The opposition has been demanding Agrawal's resignation since the sterilisation surgery botch up took lives of at least 13 women, but Singh has refused to consider Agrawal's resignation.

"I feel there something is definitely lacking in the hospital. And the administration may have rectified the issue and in referral cases there are chances of casualty. We were never considering Amar Agrawal's resignation, the Congress has been making it an issue," Singh said.