Maharashtra hospital deaths: Congress demands probe, Kharge slams state health apparatus
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Tuesday demanded a thorough investigation into 24 deaths at a government hospital in Maharashtra's Nanded with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge raising questions on the state government's health system.
Twenty-four deaths, including that of 12 infants, were reported between September 30 and October 1 in a government hospital in Nanded, a top Maharashtra health official said on Monday.
In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge expressed his concern over the deaths.
"It is said that these patients died due to lack of medicines and treatment. A similar incident took place in a government hospital in Thane in August 2023 in which 18 patients lost their lives," Kharge said.
"Our deepest condolences to the families of the victims. Such incidents taking place repeatedly have raised a question mark on the health system of the state government," the Congress chief said, hitting out at the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra.
"We demand a thorough investigation so that the culprits of this negligence are given strict punishment by the judiciary," he said.
Former party chief Rahul Gandhi Monday night alleged why there was no money for children's medicines while the BJP government spends crores of rupees on publicity.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also demanded strict action against those responsible for the inordinate number of deaths and compensation for the affected families.
In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi expressed his grief at the news of the deaths and offered his condolences to the bereaved families.
"The BJP government spends thousands of crores of rupees on its publicity, but there is no money for medicines for children? In the eyes of the BJP, the lives of the poor have no value," he alleged.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also asked Modi to break his "silence" on the incident.
In a post in Hindi on X on Monday, Priyanka Gandhi said "May God grant peace to the departed souls. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families."
"Strict action should be taken against those responsible and compensation should be given to the affected families," she said.
Dr Dilip Mhaisekar, Director of Medical Education and Research in Maharashtra, told PTI, "In the last 24 hours, 24 deaths have been reported at Nanded Government Hospital and Medical College (GMCH). Out of these, 12 are infants who were referred here by some local private hospitals. The remaining deaths are of adults from various causes."
Dean Dr S R Wakode of Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital told reporters the 12 infants comprised six males and six females.
Most of them were in the 0-3 day age group and had "very low weight," he said.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
