Baby sustains burn injuries in KEM Hospital’s PICU ward

In a tragic incident, a twomonth-old baby sustained 22 per cent burn injuries due to a short circuit in the PICU ward of the King Edward Memorial (KEM) hospital. The incident took place on Wednesday midnight when the nodules of electrocardiogram (ECG) suddenly caught fire.

The incident has once again raised questions over the facilities provided in civic hospitals. The child is presently on ventilation and is being observed by senior doctors. The civic officials, meanwhile, have ordered an enquiry into the matter.

The child was suffering from a congenital heart disease due to which he was admitted to the Intensive Care

Unit (ICU) of the hospital on Sunday.

But on Wednesday midnight around 2.15 am, due to a sudden short circuit, the ECG nodes which were attached to his heart melted off and led to 22 per cent burn injuries on the right side of the body, including his face.

“We were sleeping outside the ICU when suddenly at midnight nurses came to us and informed about the incident. When we went inside the ICU our child had burn marks. He was already in serious condition, but after this incident, his condition has deteriorated further,” said Pannelal Rajbhar, 26-old-old father of the child.

The family resides in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh and Pannelal works in Delhi as a driver. But as one of their family members stay in Mumbai, they brought the child to KEM for treatment.

A case has been filed against the hospital admonition at the Bhoiwada police station. However, the hospital states it is just an accident and administration is not responsible for it.

“It is an accident and the hospital can not be held responsible. But we would still conduct an internal inquiry,” said Dr Hemant Deshmukh, dean, KEM hospital.

The incident has once again raised questions over the facilities provided in civic hospitals.