Lagatar24 Desk
Jaipur: Six patients who died at Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital during a fire on Sunday were already critically ill and died because their treatment was disrupted during evacuation, not because of the fire itself, according to hospital authorities. A suspected short circuit triggered the blaze in the ICU, leading to panic and forced evacuations.
Evacuation Disrupted Critical Care
SMS Hospital Superintendent Sushil Bhati stated that the patients — two women and four men — were suffering from serious neurological conditions requiring constant ICU care. “These people did not die because of the fire… they died because they were serious patients and had to be moved out of the ICU,” Bhati said, reiterating multiple times that the deaths were not caused by burns or smoke inhalation.
Bhati added that the patients were shifted to another ICU with oxygen cylinders and ventilators, and those who survived continue to receive critical treatment. Trauma in-charge Dr Anurag Dhakad confirmed that 11 patients were in the ICU when the fire broke out.
Allegations Of Negligence Amid Panic
The fire spread rapidly through the ICU and adjoining areas, causing chaos among patients and their families. Several relatives accused the hospital of negligence, alleging that smoke warnings were ignored, fire alarms were not activated, and extinguishers were absent. Some claimed hospital staff fled to save themselves, leaving families to carry out rescues.
However, hospital staff disputed these allegations, asserting they saved several patients before the flames intensified. A ward boy recounted rushing from the operating theatre to rescue people, saving three to four patients before conditions became too dangerous.
Government Orders Investigation
Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma visited the hospital to review the situation. He announced a probe committee headed by Iqbal Khan, Medical Department Commissioner, to investigate the cause of the fire and the hospital’s response.
