Lagatar24 Desk
Bhopal, Nov.9: A fire at the children’s ward of the Kamla Nehru Hospital, which is part of Bhopal’s state-run Hamidia Hospital, claimed the lives of at least four infants on Monday’s late night.
The fire started in a general ward and a NICU ward, according to officials. The reports tell that 36 of the 40 infants in the unit were rescued, while four others who were already in severe condition died as a result of the fire.
“Prima facie, the cause of the fire seems to be a short-circuit,” Medical Health Education Minister Vishwas Sarang said. He further mentioned that by the time he arrived, the lights had gone out and the ward was filled with smoke, making visibility difficult.
“Our priority was the rescue of the infants and we rushed them to an adjoining ward with our own hands. They were underweight infants who were admitted in critical condition,” Sarang told media after coming out of the hospital.
Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, tweeted that three children “could not be saved” because “they were already very ill.” Chouhan described the fatalities as “unbearable pain” and promised a high-level investigation into what went wrong.
Meanwhile, a spark and a cloud of smoke caused confusion for Rais Khan, a native of Rajgarh in the state, whose 10-day-old grandson was admitted to the general ward. “Before we could comprehend what had occurred, the medical staff pushed us out,” he added.
To care for the infants, a second team of doctors was rushed in. Furthermore, two doctors were assigned to each patient to verify that their condition remained constant, according to Sarang.
13 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to tackle the fire, which is said to have started around 8:45 pm.
Congress MLA from Bhopal, Arif Masood, who was present at the spot, said: “This is the second incident reported in the same building. An inquiry has been ordered but the reason behind these incidents should be thoroughly investigated and those responsible should be punished.”
