Two more infants who were rescued from a fire that devastated Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College died in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi on Sunday, bringing the total death toll in the blaze to 17, PTI reported, citing a senior official. The incident, which occurred on November 15, had already claimed the lives of 10 newborn babies on the day it happened.
A total of 39 newborns were rescued from the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit during the fire.
Narendra Singh Sengar, the principal of the medical college, told PTI that two more of the rescued infants passed away on Saturday. While 10 babies died in the fire, the others died later due to their “illnesses,” he added.
A post-mortem examination was conducted on Saturday for the two infants who passed away, and the cause of death was confirmed as “illness” in both cases. The bodies have been returned to their families, according to Sengar.
Both infants had a birth weight of 800 grams, and one of them also had a heart defect, Sengar added.
Earlier, on Wednesday, three infants who had been rescued from the NICU ward fire at Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi passed away due to their medical conditions.
According to doctors, one of the infants, born prematurely weighing 1.2 kg, died from low blood pressure; another died from infection and DIC, while the third, also premature and weighing 1.2 kg, succumbed to respiratory failure and shock.
With these deaths, the total number of rescued infants who died due to ailments rose to five. Narendra Singh Senger said that the deaths occurred during treatment due to serious health issues, not from burn injuries.
Four-member team to investigate
A four-member team, headed by Kinjal Singh, the director-general of medical education and training, visited the Maharani Lakshmi Bai Medical College on Monday to investigate the fire.
The team took statements from doctors and staff, examined the fire-damaged ward and equipment, and gathered details about the rescued newborns. The inquiry committee is expected to submit its findings within seven days.
The tragic fire at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Jhansi’s Maharani Lakshmi Bai Medical College could have been prevented if the hospital authorities had acted on the recommendations made by a panel that conducted an electricity safety audit at the facility five months ago.
The safety audit report, dated June 20, 2024, was based on an inspection conducted on June 17 and 18 this year by a two-member team: Chandra Bhushan Chaubey, assistant director of electricity safety in Jhansi, and Mulayam Singh Yadav, electricity safety officer in Jhansi.
The report highlighted serious safety concerns across multiple departments and units, including the administrative building, auditorium, anatomy, and pathology areas. It revealed that several wiring connections were exposed with joints, and junction boxes were left open, significantly increasing the risk of fire.