Panel set up to probe Gwalior hospital fire incident

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Gwalior, March 17 (IANS) Gwalior District Magistrate Ruchika Chauhan has formed an investigation committee headed by a Sub Divisional Magistrate Vinod Singh to look into the March 16 fire incident at a unit of Kamla Raja Hospital, an official said on Monday.

The committee will have seven members.

It will investigate multiple points, including the root cause of the fire and submit the report in five days, informed Vinod Singh, sub divisional magistrate while speaking to IANS over phone.

A fire broke out in the intensive care unit adjacent to labour room of Gynaecology department of Kamla Raja Hospital (KRH) – a unit of Jaya Arogya Hospital Gwalior at late night on Saturday following a blast in an air-conditioner compressor, albeit, apparently.

The hospital staff and the relatives of the patients present on the occasion broke the windows of the ICU and shifted 16 pregnant women admitted in the ICU to safety.

According to reports, three air-conditioners installed in the ward were burnt to ashes. Frustrating black smoke filled the ICU, the labour room and the surrounding wards, reports said.

Later, more staff arrived and patients were shifted to the Super Specialty Hospital – part of Jaya Arogya Hospital.

By around 5 p.m. on Sunday, 130 patients were shifted.

Insiders in the government said that the building of KRH is very old so is the electric supply network.

Moreover, the power supply network does not sync with the load which has been increased in the past few years.

This may be one of the reasons of the incidents of short circuit occur at intervals.

In September 2023, there was a short-circuit in Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) and smoke was filled in the ward making the staff to shift newborns to other floor.

In 2024, a fire broke out in Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) due to a short circuit.

The guard promptly came into action and the fire was controlled, and major incident averted.

About 6 years ago, a short circuit had also occurred in SNCU Murar. That incident was also averted due to timely intervention.

–IANS

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