MUMBAI: As the death toll at the Dr. Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital in Maharashtra’s Nanded city, rose to 37, including 18 newborns, the acting dean and a doctor of the hospital were booked on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder following the death of a woman and her infant died.

The accused acting dean Shamrao Wakode and his colleague are accused of failing to provide medicines and treatment, leading to the deaths of Anjali Waghmare, 21. The filing of the case comes two days after Wakode was made to clean dirty toilets at the hospital by Hemant Patil, the local Shiv Sena MP. 

Based on a complaint lodged against Dr S.R. Wakode and the head, of the paediatrician department, Dr Rathod, by Anjali's father Kamaji Tompe in connection with the death of his daughter and her newborn child at the hospital, the police registered cases under Section 304-II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code was registered by the Nanded Rural Police.

Anjali's father Kamaji Tompe alleged that the doctors at GMCH had compelled him to purchase medicines and blood bags worth Rs 45,000 from outside after the hospital claimed it didn't have them. Tompe has furnished pharmacy bills in his complaint.

Nanded Rural Police, Additional Superintendent of Police Abinash Kumar said that the complaint was more against individual and administrative negligence. "Prima facie it appears that it was less of specific allegations of medical negligence in the complaint given and more against individuals’ act and administrative negligence,” he said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the government had taken the deaths 'very seriously' and appropriate action would be taken after a detailed inquiry.

In response to the crisis, Shinde denied that there were shortages of medicines and staff and said that a significant number of patients who died were old people with heart ailments, underweight infants or accident victims.

Shinde said that he had asked the district heads to visit all government hospitals, municipal corporations and municipal hospitals, primary health centres, and authorised hospitals of medical colleges in their district immediately, and submit a report on the current situation.