The infants apparently succumbed to conditions like birth asphyxia, septic infections, respiratory distress or low birth weight. Of the total 572 neonates admitted for treatment in the NICU, 78 died during this period, said the report submitted to Maharashtra health minister Suresh Shetty.

Though the report does not mention the causes of these deaths, it further enlists the lack of adequate healthcare facilities in government hospitals of Thane. For a population of more than 1.10 crore in what is the largest district of the country, just 1,206 cots are available in all government hospitals here, the report says.u00a0