September 3, 2025

A terrible incident hit the government-run Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital (MYH) in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, when rats attacked two newborn babies in the Neonatal ICU. Sadly, one of the infants, a girl suffering from pneumonia, died on Tuesday, September 2, 2025. Officials revealed that the girl was already critically ill, with doctors saying, “As per the paediatricians, the child had a very low chance of survival due to Pneumonia. This child passed away this morning.” The other infant, a boy with congenital deformities, is now stable. This shocking rat attack has stirred a big uproar. The hospital quickly reacted by removing its nursing superintendent and suspending two nursing staff members. Dr. Arvind Ghanghoria, dean of the connected Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, announced a ₹1 lakh fine and a show-cause notice to The Agile Company, which handles pest control and cleaning at the hospital. Dr. Ghanghoria explained the recent arrival of rats was due to heavy rains causing waterlogging and a broken pipe near the hospital. “It rained very heavily three to four days ago in Indore and there was water logging in many parts including around the hospital. They [the rats] climbed through the pipes during this time,” he said. The first signs of trouble appeared on August 30, when a rat bite was noticed on a child's hand. Initially mistaken for an infection, the discovery of a rat made it clear what had happened. Dr. Ashok Yadav, Medical Superintendent, stated, “This was believed to be a kind of infection but when a rat was found at the spot the next day, then we thought that it was a rat bite.” He added that pest control usually happens every 10-15 days, but called this incident “very unfortunate.” In response, a high-powered committee has been formed to investigate and provide a report within a week. Pest control will now happen every seven days across the hospital to prevent such horrors. Political voices are loud and furious. Umang Singhar, Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly and Congress MLA, slammed the ruling BJP government. He claimed, “pest control had not been done at the hospital in five years,” and blasted, “Have mercy on newborns, government…! Look at the condition of MY Hospital in Indore—innocent newborns are being gnawed by rats in the NICU, and the BJP government hasn’t even gotten pest control done for five years!" Singhar called the event “not just negligence but massacre,” accusing the BJP of turning hospitals into “dens of death.” His fiery words included, “Doctors and the system kept lying, while rats drank the blood of children. Is this the picture of BJP’s ‘Healthy Madhya Pradesh’? Shameful! This government is a bigger criminal than criminals.” The tragic NICU rat attack tragically exposed serious lapses in hospital hygiene and care, shaking public trust and demanding immediate, strong action to protect India’s most vulnerable—its newborns.

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Tags: Rat attack, Nicu, Maharaja yashwantrao hospital, Pest control, Infant death, Madhya pradesh,