Hyd hospital where an infant died in fire accident lacked safety measures, reveals probe

A baby was killed and four infants suffered injuries after a fire broke out at the Shine Hospital on Monday.
Hyd hospital where an infant died in fire accident lacked safety measures, reveals probe
Hyd hospital where an infant died in fire accident lacked safety measures, reveals probe

The preliminary probe into the fire mishap on Tuesday at Shine Hospital in LB Nagar, Hyderabad which resulted in the death of a baby and left four other infants injured, has revealed that the hospital was constructed in violation of fire safety norms. Besides this, the hospital had flouted other norms and increased its bed capacity illegally. While they had permission for only 20 beds, the hospital made a provision for an additional 30 beds, said Rangareddy District Medical and Health Officer K Swarajya Lakshmi.

Speaking to TNM, the DMHO said, "The hospital did not have an exit for the fire engine, they had just a single entry and exit, which is against the rules. Apart from that, the hospital had permission to have only 20 beds, but against the norms they increased the bed capacity to 50." Most of the beds, which were squeezed into the alloted area, were occupied at the time of the fire. According to the police, 42 children and their families were in the hospital during the fire accident.

The fire department had earlier informed media that the fire fighting equipment in the hospital like fire alarm and the hose reel were also defunct. 

The DMHO added that the hospital staff were not trained in how to handle the crisis in case of a fire. "They did not have any orientation on how to act during such a crisis. Periodically, mock drills should be carried out by such institutions. In this case, no such practice was followed," Swarajya Lakshmi pointed out.

On Monday, a fire broke out in the hospital allegedly due to short circuit, which killed a four-month-old infant and injured four other babies who were kept in incubators at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the hospital located on the third floor.

Following the incident, Health Minister Eatala Rajender had asked the health department to submit a report on the incident.

Meanwhile, based on the complaint of the deceased baby's father, the LB Nagar police have booked the hospital's Managing Director Sunil Kumar Reddy under 304 A of the Indian Penal Code (causing death due to negligence). However, they are yet to arrest him.    

 
 

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