Expired licence, doctor on duty not qualified to treat newborns, no emergency exits – these are among several lapses that have surfaced after a massive blaze at a children’s hospital in the national capital that killed seven newborn babies.
The Police evacuated twelve infants from the building after receiving a call about the massive fire at Baby Care New Born Hospital in east Delhi’s Vivek Vihar at 11.29 p.m. on Saturday. Of these, five survived the accident and were shifted to another hospital.
After the fire – which had quickly spread to two adjacent buildings – was doused, the hospital was thoroughly inspected by Police, fire brigade staff and a crime team. The teams found out that after the fire broke out, oxygen cylinders kept in the two-storey building exploded, due to which the adjacent buildings were damaged. What also came to light were several shortcomings on the part of the hospital authorities.
During the inspection of the hospital and examination of nursing staff, it was revealed that the facility didn’t have any fire extinguishers or an emergency exit, Police said.
The doctor who was on duty when the accident happened was not qualified to treat newborns in need of neo-natal incentive care, they added. Dr. Akash – a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) graduate – has been arrested.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Surendra Chaudhary said that the hospital had more than the authorised number of oxygen cylinders. “Initially, we had filed a case for negligence. After the inspection, we have also invoked sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) of IPC,” he said.
The licence issued to the hospital by the Directorate General of Health Services or DGHS had already expired on March 31, nearly two months before the accident. (NDTV)
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