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The fire was attributed to a short circuit in the hospital’s wiring. The hospital staff reportedly (and off course surprisingly!!!) relied on only two fire extinguishers to douse the flames that emanated from the new-born care unit. HRLN (Human Rights Law Network) Indore reportedly filed a petition in the Madhya Pradesh high court, alleging gross negligence in the maintenance, administration, security and management of fire safety, on part of the hospital.

In this petition HRLN Indore also alleged that, another lethal fire accident had taken place in the operation theatre of a newly constructed OPD building in the hospital in August. However, the hospital authorities did not take the fire hazard seriously even after this incident.

HRLN further alleged that the poor electrical system in the hospital seemingly posed a hazard for the health of its patient. There was a single line in the hospital for all electrical loads, whereas as per standards there must be three: for electrical equipment, air conditioners, lights and fans. The exposed and unearthed electrical wiring could reportedly also be seen all over the hospital premises, which are a safety hazard as well.

Maintaining the electrical system and checking for faults is the responsibility of the hospital administration and the public works department (PWD), both of which allegedly showed negligence to such critical aspects of safety.

In the Investigation conducted by HRLN it was found that the hospital put additional load on its electrical system by putting more than one child on the same ventilator, since it admits 40-80 more children above its capacity. This was done without regular load tests being conducted by the hospital and PWD to gauge the overheating in the ventilators and to maintain them properly.

Adding to this safety disorder, the hospital had no emergency exits to allow patients to escape in an emergency, which added to the chaos on the day of the fire. As soon as blaze and smoke started spreading through the second floor of the hospital, doctors and nurses turned into rescuers at MY Hospital, pulling 47 newborns to safety after a fire turned the neo-natal ICU into a gas chamber. The valiant rescuers smashed window panes to let in air and then took the neonates — most of them on respiratory support — through a makeshift bridge that they created out of broken furniture and poles to connect the roof of an adjacent building.

This fragile make-shift bridge built out of “Jugaad strategy” indeed turned into a lifeline for the babies who still were hooked to oxygen respirators and eventually passed hand to hand in a safe area. Nurses and doctors would follow every baby, pumping hand-held respiratory support. The hospital staff also attempted failed try to extinguish the fire with two fire extinguishers, which was too meagre to douse the fire of this scale. Meanwhile, the fire brigade was called, which pressed four fire-tenders and two water tankers to quench the inferno.

The petition filed by HRLN Indore reportedly pleaded for the court to direct the hospital to install efficient fire alarm systems, train its staff with regular mock drills to equip them to deal with such emergencies, and to prominently display emergency exit signs. So, it’s high time that organizations of all kinds must focus on all these aspects of fire safety. Aarush fire system helps you to implement all these requisites, effectively and efficiently.