15 newborns die at Jorhat Medical College Hospital in 6 days, probe ordered

Borkakoti, however, claimed the deaths were not due to medical negligence or neglect of the hospital.

"Sometimes the number of patients coming to the hospital may be large and so the figure of the death of newborns may also be large. It depends on what situation the patients have come to the hospital. They may have come with prolonged labour, with low birth weight. In such circumstances, those newborns may die," Borkakoti said.

He said ever since the civil hospital was converted into a full-fledged medical college and hospital, the number of patients have soared, exceeding the available 141-bed SNCU capacity. This has forced the hospital to sometimes accommodate more babies, he said.

The hospital has formed a six-member committee to probe the deaths, Borkakoti said.

Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told reporters that a team of experts, including the director of medical education assisted by UNICEF and a paediatric doctor from Gauhati Medical College and Hospital along with another doctor of Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh have proceeded to Jorhat to investigate the deaths.