Bhopal hospital fire: The fire swept through the newborn-care unit of the Kamala Nehru Children’s Hospital. State minister Vishwas Sarang visited the hospital to check the situation. The government should make proper arrangements for the treatment of admitted children in other hospitals.
BHOPAL: Four newborns died on Monday night in a fire that broke out at a government hospital in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal, in India. The fire swept through a special unit of the Kamala Nehru Children’s Hospital. “Four children died in the fire that broke out in the special newborn care unit (SNCU) ward probably due to a short circuit. We reached the spot along with others soon after getting information about the incident. It was dark inside the ward. We shifted the children to the adjacent ward,” State Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang said.
Poor maintenance and lack of proper firefighting equipment often cause deaths in India.
The blaze started in the ward on the third-floor of the hospital, which has the ICU, at around 9 pm and 8-10 fire enginers were rushed to the site, said Fatehgarh Fire Station in-charge Juber Khan.
Visuals from the hospital showed shocked parents breaking down on the stairs after escaping from the ward as the rescue operation started. The other babies were shifted to different wards.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, condoling the deaths, said the incident was “very sad”.
“We were unable to save three children who were already seriously injured in the fire incident which is very painful. The rescue operation was swift and the blaze is under control, now but unfortunately the lives of three children could not be saved,” Chouhan had tweeted earlier. Another death was reported later.
“A high-level probe into the incident has been ordered. The probe will be conducted by additional chief secretary (ACS) health and medical education, Mohammad Suleiman,” the Chief Minister said in another tweet.
He has announced a compensation of ₹ 4 lakh for the family members of the victims.
Calling the incident as “very painful”, former Chief Minister and Congress leader Kamal Nath demanded “a high-level probe” into the incident and stern action against those responsible for it.
According to news agency PTI, the fire started at around 9 pm on the third floor of the hospital building, which houses the paediatric ICU. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. At least 40 children were admitted to the ICU ward, out of which 36 have been shifted to another ward. Four children could not be saved.
CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the fire was brought under control but some children, who were already seriously ill and were admitted to the hospital, could not be saved.
“The untimely departure of children from the world is unbearable pain. I pray to God for peace to the departed souls. My deepest condolences to the families of these children. Those who were injured in the incident get a speedy recovery, this is my wish. Om Shanti,” he said.
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath said in a tweet, “The incident of fire in the children’s ward of Kamala Nehru Hospital in Bhopal is very sad. The government should make all necessary arrangements for rescue and relief work. After this tragic incident, the families of the admitted children are suffering.”
“The government should make proper arrangements for the treatment of admitted children in other hospitals. Praying to God that all the children are safe. There should be a high-level inquiry into this whole incident, strict action should be taken against the culprits responsible,” he added.
Eleven patients died in Maharashtra in similar case
Eleven patients died Saturday, November 6, 2021 after a fire broke out in a hospital’s COVID-19 ward in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.
There were 17 patients in the ward in the city of Ahmednagar where the fire started, said police Inspector Jyoti Karkade. The remaining six patients are in stable condition, she added.
While the fire has been brought under control, the cause was not immediately clear. Officials said they will carry out an investigation.
The former chief minister of the state, Devendra Fadnavis, took to Twitter to express his condolences and called for “strict action” against those responsible.
Such incidents are not uncommon in India. In May, when the country was battling a devastating surge in coronavirus cases, a fire in a COVID-19 ward in western India killed at least 18 patients.
Poor maintenance and lack of proper firefighting equipment often cause deaths in India.
(India CSR)
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