Rahul Gandhi slams MP hospital tragedy, says government failing poorest citizens
Indore
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, strongly criticised the Madhya Pradesh government on Thursday after rodents attacked two newborn babies at Indore’s Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital, leading to the death of one.
Calling it not an accident but outright murder, Rahul Gandhi said the shocking incident highlighted gross negligence in the state’s healthcare system. He described it as inhuman and horrifying, adding that a mother lost her baby due to the government’s failure to fulfil its most basic duty.
In a post on X, Gandhi alleged that healthcare had been handed over to private players, leaving poor families at the mercy of crumbling public hospitals. Government hospitals have become death traps for the poor, he wrote. He also questioned the repeated response of promising investigations after such tragedies, saying that a government which cannot protect newborns has no moral right to rule.
Gandhi further stated that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chief Minister should hang their heads in shame for denying healthcare rights to millions. Now, even children are being taken from their mothers’ arms due to negligence, he added.
The incident occurred in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where rats were later spotted on CCTV. A six-member committee of doctors has been formed to investigate, and Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla confirmed an inquiry.
