Two newborn babies bitten by rats, one dies in Indore’s MY hospital; Negligence sparks outrage

A newborn girl died after being bitten by rats in Indore’s MY Hospital NICU. Though pneumonia was cited as the cause, the incident raised serious concerns over hospital negligence and hygiene.

Indore: Two babies were bitten by rats in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the prestigious Maharaja Yashwantrao (MY) Hospital located in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. One of these newborn girls died on 2 September 2025. However, the hospital administration claimed that she died due to pneumonia and not due to rat bites.

Action by hospital administration

After the incident came to light, the hospital administration suspended two nursing staff, and the nursing superintendent wasremoved from his post. Also, show cause notices have been issued to the nurse in charge and the head of the pediatric surgery department.

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Dr. Arvind Ghanghoria, Dean of Mahatma Gandhi Medical College affiliated with the hospital, said that many administrative steps have been taken regarding the increasing threat of rats. Under this, the company 'The Agile Company,' which was handling pest control in the hospital, has been fined ₹1 lakh and warned of cancellation of its contract.

The condition of the dead newborn was already critical

Dr. Ghanghoria said that the girl who died weighed only 1.2 kg and was suffering from a serious disease like pneumonia. Her fingers were injured due to rat bites, but according to doctors, she died due to pneumonia. On the other hand, the 1.6 kg baby, who was also bitten by a rat, is now stable.

Reason for the arrival of rats: heavy rain and a broken pipe

The dean said that rats had been seen in the hospital for the last 3-4 days, the main reason for which was said to be heavy rain and a broken pipeline. Due to waterlogging around the hospital, the rats entered through the pipes. However, he also admitted that the nursing staff did not inform the administration on time, which is a serious negligence.

Formation of high-level inquiry committee

In view of the seriousness of the incident, a high-level inquiry committee has been formed, which will submit its report in a week. Apart from this, now a pest control campaign will be run in the hospital every 7 days, which was earlier done every 15 days.

Opposition attack

Opposition leader and Congress MLA Umang Singhar has reacted sharply to this incident. He said, "The government should have mercy on the newborns. Look at the condition of MY Hospital in Indore—where rats are biting innocent children in the NICU. The BJP government has not been able to get pest control done for the last five years."

The incident of newborns being bitten by rats in Indore's largest government hospital has shocked the entire state. Even though the cause of death is said to be pneumonia, the question arises: how did the rats reach a sensitive area like the NICU? This negligence not only shows the failure of the administration but also raises serious questions on the health system of the state.