Jhansi fire incident: Ten newborns died and several children were injured in a massive fire that broke out on Friday night in the neonatal intensive care (NICU) ward of the Maharani Lakshmibai Medical College in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. After this tragic accident, serious doubts began to arise in the hospital administration, especially regarding the lack of safety measures and the state of firefighting equipment. It is claimed that the hospital’s fire extinguishing cylinder was expired, which led to the tragedy.
Painful death of 10 children, all have been identified
Ten newborns lost their lives in the fire that broke out in the NICU ward of Jhansi Medical College on the night of November 15. The children who died in the accident have been identified and their bodies have been handed over to their families. Many children were injured in this accident and are being treated at Jhansi Medical College and nearby private hospitals.
49 children were admitted at the time of the fire, 38 were saved
According to media reports, at the time of the accident, 49 children were admitted to the nursery of the Faculty of Medicine, of whom 38 were safely rescued. However, one child remains missing, while three others are seriously injured and their condition remains critical.
A short circuit would be the cause of the fire
According to the district judge, the cause of the fire was considered to be a short circuit in the initial investigation. Judicial and fire investigations are currently underway. However, questions are raised about many other defects. Serious allegations have been made about the lack of adequate firefighting facilities at the hospital and the failure of safety measures.
Questions raised about negligence
After this incident, questions are also being raised about where the staff on duty at the hospital were and whether they were trained. Questions have also been raised about the liability of untrained staff hired by outsourcing agencies in the hospital. If any staff had been present and started rescue operations as soon as the fire was reported, perhaps this accident would not have occurred.
Reactions of the state and the central government
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his deepest condolences over this incident and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased children, while Rs 50,000 was announced for the seriously injured children. The Chief Minister has ordered a full investigation into the incident and said action will be taken against the culprits.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over this accident and announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh to the families of the deceased from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. He also announced compensation of Rs 50,000 for the injured.
Reaction of opposition leaders
Opposition parties have also leveled serious accusations against the government and administration over this accident. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav described the incident as a result of “negligence in medical management and administration” and demanded punitive action against the culprits. At the same time, BSP chief Mayawati and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also condemned the incident and called for strict action against the culprits.
Azad Samaj Party president Chandrashekhar Azad described the accident as a result of a serious lack of safety measures in hospitals. Expressing his condolences to the families of the victims, he said this loss is irreparable and it would be extremely difficult for any parent to recover.
Revealing negligence of the administration and the health system
This painful incident that took place at Jhansi Medical College not only raises questions about the safety measures of the hospitals but also exposes the negligence of the administration and the healthcare system. After this accident, it is necessary to take concrete measures regarding safety and emergency measures in public and private hospitals.
