22 Dead And Hundreds Injured In Bhubaneswar Hospital Fire
At least 22 people died, and over 120 got injured after a major fire broke out at SUM Hospital-cum-medical college in Bhubaneswar on Monday evening. After carrying out the evacuation, 14 patients were “brought dead” at the Capital Hospital. Eight were declared dead by privately-owned AMRI Hospital. The AMRI Hospital received 37 patients at the casualty ward, out of which, eight were brought dead.
Voicing “serious” concern over the fire incident at the SUM Hospital, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik described the mishap as “very tragic“. The CM directed the government hospitals to provide necessary treatment to patients shifted from SUM Hospital and requested all private hospitals to extend treatment to the patients from the fire-hit medical facility. He also ordered Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) to probe into the incident.
The fire which reportedly started due to short circuit started in the dialysis OT in the first floor which subsequently spread to the ICU and other nearby wards around 7 pm. As many as seven fires tending vehicles took more than 2 hours to bring the blaze under control. More than 100 patients and their attendants were injured due to fire. Some people were found to have sustained burn injuries. The death toll is likely to increase. Eyewitnesses accounted that people were seen jumping from the first floors by breaking glass windows. Patients were brought to hospitals such as AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, KIIMS and Kalinga Hospital.
Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on Monday said the Centre is providing all necessary support to Odisha where more than 20 patients died, and several were injured in a fire that broke out at the Sum Hospital in Bhubaneswar. The state government ordered a probe by Director Medical Education and Training and promised free treatment to all the injured. According to the hospital’s website, SUM has 750 beds, 25 intensive care beds and 150 cabins.
The incident is quite similar to the massive fire that broke out at AMRI Hospital in Kolkata in 2011 that took 89 lives. Healthcare facility in India is reeling under pathetic conditions. Incidents like these are eye-openers that how a hospital functions with negligence of the administration. Hospitals should be equipped with proper fire-extinguishing facilities and the administration should be aware of the fact that an emergency may arise at any time.
A proper probe must be carried out and whoever responsible must be booked.
