10 infants die in fire at Maharashtra hospital
The blaze erupted in the neonatal unit of a hospital in Bhandara, possibly triggered by a short circuit
Ten infants were killed after a fire broke out at the neonatal care ward of the district municipal hospital in Maharashtra’s Bhandara on Saturday morning. Only seven of 17 newborns in the ward could be rescued, said an official.
Dr Pramod Khandate, civil surgeon of Bhandara district, said a fire broke out in the Sick Newborn Care Unit around 2am on Saturday. “The hospital nurse first noticed smoke coming out of the neonatal section and informed the hospital authorities. Fire brigade was also called to the hospital immediately
which rescued seven babies who have been shifted to another ward,” he added.
Shubhangi Sathavne and Smita Ambilduke, the two nurses who were on night duty, said they heard explosion-like sounds in the neonatal ward.
According to an official familiar with the matter, at least three of the 10 infants were charred to death, while the rest possibly died of asphyxiation. “The exact cause of death would be ascertained after post-mortem,” Khandate said.
The cause of the fire in the four-storey building is yet to be ascertained. Preliminary investigations suggested that a short circuit caused it, a fire department official said.
NAGPUR/MUMBAI: Ten infants were killed after a fire broke out at the neonatal care ward of the district municipal hospital in Maharashtra’s Bhandara on Saturday morning. Only seven of 17 newborns in the ward could be rescued, said an official.
Dr Pramod Khandate, civil surgeon of Bhandara district, said a fire broke out in the Sick Newborn Care Unit around 2am on Saturday. “The hospital nurse first noticed smoke coming out of the neonatal section and informed the hospital authorities. Fire brigade was also called to the hospital immediately which rescued seven babies who have been shifted to another ward,” he added.
Shubhangi Sathavne and Smita Ambilduke, the two nurses who were on night duty, said they heard explosion-like sounds in the neonatal ward. “When we rushed inside, smoke filled our noses and eyes. We could not see anything, but heard glass shattering. We raised the alarm and with the help of security guards and fire brigade staff rescued seven of the children,” they were quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
According to an official familiar with the matter, at least three of the 10 infants were charred to death, while the rest possibly died of asphyxiation. “The exact cause of death would be ascertained after post-mortem,” Khandate said.
The cause of the fire in the four-storey building is yet to be ascertained. Preliminary investigations suggested that a short circuit caused it, a fire department official said on condition of anonymity. “It was said that heaters were being used for the newborn babies at the hospital. It may be the reason for the short circuit there,” the official said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident on Twitter. “Heartwrenching tragedy in Bhandara, Maharashtra, where we have lost precious young lives. My thoughts are with all the bereaved families. I hope the injured recover as early as possible,” he posted.
Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray called the incident “very unfortunate”, and announced aid of ₹5 lakh for f amily members of t he deceased.
“At present, the entire health care system and hospitals are fighting with coronavirus pandemic. The state government will not tolerate any compromise with security and safety of the hospitals. To make sure such incidents are not repeated I have directed to check fire audit status of all the hospitals in the state,” he said.
State health minister Rajesh Tope said a six-member committee headed by director, health, Sadhana Tayade will conduct an inquiry into the fire and submit a report within three days.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi condoled the deaths. “The unfortunate incident of fire at Bhandara District General Hospital in Maharashtra is extremely tragic,” he wrote on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former energy minister of the state, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, claimed that relatives of the infants had complained about power fluctuations in the ward last week.
“The relatives had asked the hospital staff to check electric switches etc, but apparently no action was taken,” Bawankule told PTI.
He also alleged that the hospital didn’t have proper fire safety equipment, and a proposal to purchase fire safety equipment worth over Rs 1 crore sent to the health department was pending f or approval.
Former Maharashtra chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, too, termed the incident “very painful”, and demanded a thorough probe.
Parents of the deceased children, meanwhile, were struggling to come to terms with the tragedy. “We had not even named our daughter and now we have got her burnt dead body,” said Vishwanath Behere, a labourer.
Vandana Shedam (28) said she lived in the hospital itself as her seven-day-old daughter was admitted to the neonatal ward for being underweight. “We came to know about the fire around 2am but had no idea of the condition of my baby till 8 in the morning. Then they put her burnt body before me,” she said.
An RTI application has revealed that the fire safety audit of the Bhandara Civil Hospital was not done since 2018. Moreover, the district administration had sent a proposal of over ₹1.52 crore for purchasing fire safety equipment for the hospital on May 12 last year to the joint director (health services), Mumbai, which has not been addressed yet.
RTI activist Vikas Madankar, who sought information from the district health department regarding the fire safety measures of the Bhandara Civil Hospital, was informed a few months ago that fire hydrants, sprinklers, smoke alarm, fire escape ladder and fire escape routes, which are mandatory in such institutions, are not available in the hospital.