Concern Over Child Deaths Again at Malda Medical, 55 Children Died This Month

**Malda:** Concern has arisen again over child deaths at Malda Medical College and Hospital. According to hospital sources, a total of 55 children have died as of the 24th of this month. Among them, the highest number of deaths occurred in a single day, with five children dying.

The hospital authorities claim that a large portion of the deceased children were suffering from malnutrition. Ganesh Chandra Gain, the superintendent of Malda Medical College, stated that out of the 55 children who died this month, 35 were malnourished. He mentioned that in many cases, malnourished children are being born due to pregnancies at a young age.

It is noteworthy that in August, there was also concern over the number of child deaths at Malda Medical. It was reported that 89 children had died by August 27. Subsequently, a team from the health department visited Malda Medical on August 29 to investigate the causes of child deaths.

On September 5, the health department issued directives to remove the superintendent of Malda Medical College and the head of the pediatric department from their positions. Later, the responsibility of the medical superintendent was given to Ganesh Chandra Gain, the head of the ENT department of the same hospital. The hospital authorities were also given multiple directives to reduce the child mortality rate.

According to hospital sources, although the graph of child deaths has slightly decreased since then, 55 children have still died this month. The hospital authorities stated that they are focusing on improving medical services and infrastructure to further reduce the child mortality rate by closely monitoring the situation.