Fire kills four newborns in Indian hospital

FOUR of 40 infants in the newborn-care unit of a government hospital died in central India when a fire swept through the unit late on Monday (8), government officials said, the latest in a string of hospital fires in the country this year that have killed dozens.

The other newborns at Kamla Nehru Hospital in Madhya Pradesh state, many of them underweight, have been shifted to other wards, state medical education minister Vishvas Kailash Sarang told reporters after the fire was brought under control.

"The other children are being treated," Sarang later said on Twitter, adding an investigation had been ordered into the fire.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday (9) said that a probe has been ordered into the incident. He also assured that strict action will be taken against the guilty.

"It is an unfortunate incident. A probe has been ordered into the incident. This is a case of criminal negligence. Stringent action will be taken against those found guilty," tweeted Chouhan.

He further said both government and private hospitals in the state will undergo fire safety audits in the wake of this incident.

Meanwhile, parents of children admitted to the hospital have alleged negligence on part of the staff. They also claimed that the hospital staff was not letting them meet their children.

"My child is eight years old, she had her operation. Earlier I was told that she had died but later they said she is alive. But they are not letting me meet my child since the night. There was smoke everywhere," said Vikram, a parent.

Yashoda, a relative of one of the children said, "Our baby is kept in ward number 1 but the staff is saying that he is not ours. We have the photos of our child. No one identifies our child more than us. But they are telling us that we will get the dead body of our child by 11 am. Why should we take the body of some other child?"

Another parent Amin, said: "It is because of the incompetence of the hospital administration that these children died. Four children have been declared dead, what about the other children admitted in the ward?"

Divisional commissioner, Bhopal, Gulshan Bamra said, "The incident is highly unfortunate. Our counsellors are talking to the parents of 36 children who are currently in a critical condition. The building is old, the flaws in its facilities are being investigated. The premises damaged due to fire is being reconstructed once again."

Hospital fires have killed at least 70 people in India this year, including 10 last weekend in Maharashtra, a state neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.

(Agencies)