Family blames BMC healthcare for children's measles deaths

Mumbai: The two families in Govandi who lost three sons allegedly due to measles in October have accused the civic healthcare of negligence.

They made their allegations to the central health team visiting the city to study the measles outbreak in which 617 suspected patients have been identified so far.

The central team visited various areas in Govandi, the worst hit in the measles outbreak, and BMC-run Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar where most of the affected children from the area go for treatment.

Around noon on Saturday, the team visited the homes of Sahrunissa Khan and brother, Mohammed Khan, who live next to each other in Rafiq Nagar of Govandi. Sahrunissa and husband Abdul lost their five-year-old son, Hasnain, and three-year-old son Nuren while Mohammed lost his son Faizal who was 14 months old.

When the central team members told the parents it's important to take children to doctors when they develop fever, the family said they had taken the children to BMCrun Rajawadi Hospital for treatment but were shocked with the negligent attitude. "My son was given glucose at 11 am after a doctor visited him at Rajawadi, and until lam when the next doctor came, no one realised that the liquid was not trickling in. Why didn't anybody notice my son's swollen face before that," asked Abdul.