Guwahati: At least five newborns died in a medical college in Assam's Barpeta district in last 24 hours while two more are in a critical condition, a hospital official said.
The deaths were reported from the Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Medical College and Hospital in Barpeta since Wednesday evening.
The college's Principal-cum-Chief Superintendent Dilip Kumar Dutta on Thursday, however, denied any medical negligence. He attributed the deaths to birth asphyxia, a medical condition resulting from deprivation of oxygen to a newborn during the birth process and lasting long enough to cause physical harm, usually to the brain.
"The babies born with severe low birth weight like 1 kg, 2 kg, 2.2 kg. The mothers were admitted later than expected in the hospital, leading to the situation. Unfortunately, we could not save them," said Dutta said.