Hyderabad, Sep 23 (SocialNews.XYZ) With two infants succumbing to burn injuries, the death toll in devastating fire at the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) ward of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Telangana’s Adilabad town, has risen to five.
One newborn died while undergoing treatment at RIMS and the other succumbed while being shifted to Nirmal town.
Earlier, three infants had died in the incident that occurred Monday midnight after an air-conditioner in the reception area of the SNCU burst into flames.
A fire tender was rushed to the hospital and the blaze was brought under control. About 25 infants were rescued by the attendants of the patients and hospital staff.
A five-day preterm baby died immediately in the incident while another preterm baby of four days succumbed four hours later. The third infant, a two-day-old girl who was born prematurely at 28 weeks, died while being shifted to another hospital.
Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha, who visited RIMS and inspected the fire incident site, expressed grief over the deaths and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families.
The minister inquired with District Collector Rajarshi Shah, RIMS officials, and doctors about the rescue operations undertaken, the current medical condition of the infants and the treatment being provided to them.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that an electrical short circuit caused a fire in the AC unit and the burning of plastic components associated with the AC led to the spread of thick smoke.
However, full clarity regarding the exact cause of the accident—whether there were lapses in the implementation of safety standards or negligence in maintenance—will emerge only after a comprehensive inquiry is completed, he said.
The minister announced a committee of experts will be constituted to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the fire accident.
He also ordered electrical safety audit, fire safety audit and civil structural safety audit.
“Based on the expert committee's report and the safety audits, we will formulate comprehensive proposals for the government covering necessary repairs, additional infrastructure, renovation works, construction of new buildings, and the recruitment of additional staff,” he said.
Raja Narasimha said it was decided to establish a 150-bed Mother and Child Health (MCH) building to further strengthen maternal and child care services at RIMS. This initiative will provide additional facilities to deliver enhanced medical care for newborns, alongside improved maternity services and maternal care.
RIMS currently has approximately 800 beds. By adding the 150-bed MCH building, we are taking steps to upgrade RIMS into a super-specialty hospital with a capacity of around 950 beds, he said.
Source: IANS
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