Seven children suffering from fever and acute respiratory distress have been admitted in the paediatric ward of the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) in Siliguri in the past 24 hours, sources said.
NBMCH sources, however, said no children suffering from fever and respiratory trouble had died during the same period. “This is perhaps for the first time in the past one week that no child has died of those diseases here,” a source said.
However, six children died due to other diseases, like low birth weight, heart failure, shock with hypertensive encephalopathy, and neonatal cardiac failure in the past 24 hours, the sources said. Altogether, 29 children have been admitted there, including three referred from Jalpaiguri.
Meanwhile, in Malda, a patient undergoing treatment in the Malda Medical College and Hospital went missing last night. According to sources, Parimal Roy of Palashdanga area in Aktail gram panchayat under the Habibpur police station was admitted in the hospital on Friday afternoon with shortness of breath and other problems.
“Treatment was going on well in the medical ward of the MMCH and the patient had recovered. Balai Mandal, a relative of the family, was sleeping at night next to the patient, like other days. Late Saturday night, he found that the patient was not by his side. A frantic search started in different wards of the hospital throughout the night, but in vain,” a source said.
“We informed the doctors and nurses of the matter. After searching all night, we did not find the patient until Sunday morning. There are security guards around the MMCH and we do not understand how the patient went out,” said Balai Mandal. The hospital authorities said they were looking into the matter.