The Hindu : Other States / Pondicherry News : Infant deaths rumour sparks panic

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 06, 2004

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Other States - Pondicherry

Infant deaths rumour sparks panic

By Our Staff Reporter

PONDICHERRY, JULY 5. A rumour that 15 babies had died due to the sudden failure of incubators at the Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) spread like wildfire through Pondicherry today morning causing consternation among people.

Police officials, presspersons, and officials of the state health department, who were at the Assembly as the budget session was in progress, rushed to JIPMER to check whether it was true once the day's proceedings were over. They found it was only a rumour.

The doctors attached to the paediatric wards took the officials and police officers around the wards to see for themselves that nothing had gone wrong in the paediatric and maternity wings. They also showed the complete in-patient and out-patient records over the last few weeks.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Sunil Garg, later told newsmen , that an intensive investigation would be conducted into the source of the rumour.

"We will take stern action against the rumour mongers," he said.

Superintendent of Police, S. Shanmughasundaram, said the rumour was "had caused panic among the people of Pondicherry and also those visiting JIPMER for treatment".

JIPMER director, K.S.V.K. Subba Rao, confirmed that that there was no incubator failure in a release.

He said steps were being taken to identify the "culprits responsible for disrupting the excellent patient care services provided by the hospital to patients".

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