The deaths of three newborns in a fire at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Amravati’s District Women’s Hospital on Monday triggered a political uproar, with the Opposition demanding accountability and immediate fire and electrical safety audits of hospitals across Maharashtra, while the government defended the efforts of medical staff to rescue the infants.
Maharashtra Health Minister Prakashrao Abitkar said medical staff made every effort to save infants after a blaze erupted at a hospital in Amravati, even as the Opposition demanded accountability and a statewide fire audit of hospitals.
Opposition NCP (SP) leader and former state home minister Anil Deshmukh claimed that recommendations of a panel set up after the 2021 Bhandara hospital fire, in which 10 infants died, had not been implemented.
He demanded immediate fire and electrical audits of hospitals across the state.
Congress leader and former minister Yashomati Thakur, who visited the hospital after the incident, questioned the claim that the fire was caused by a ventilator blast.
Three newborns lost their lives after a blaze erupted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the District Women's Hospital in Amravati city early on Monday.
As many as 36 other newborns were rescued, according to officials.
Thakur said a similar incident had occurred at the hospital earlier and questioned the safety of the equipment and electrical connections. She also sought details about the supplier of ventilators and demanded accountability for the incident.
The government had failed to pay adequate attention to healthcare infrastructure and safety, she alleged and also raised concerns over the availability of doctors and other facilities at the hospital.
Health Minister Abitkar, however, asserted that the hospital staff had tried their best to save the children.
"Regarding the unfortunate incident that occurred at a hospital in Amravati, in which three of our children tragically lost their lives, it is a deeply unfortunate and sorrowful event for us.
Our staff provided ventilator support and made every possible effort to save them, but unfortunately, they did not succeed," he told reporters.
Deshmukh said after the Bhandara hospital fire in 2021, the state government appointed a committee to examine the incident.
"But the committee's recommendations are gathering dust in government departments.
Had the state implemented those recommendations, the Amravati incident would not have happened," he claimed.
Deshmukh demanded that the government expedite implementation of the committee's recommendations.
Ruling BJP ally and Amravati MLA Ravi Rana said a similar fire had occurred at the hospital about three years ago, and questioned how such a tragedy could recur even after the facility was shifted to a new building.
Rana alleged negligence on the part of doctors, staff and the system and said an inquiry was necessary to establish accountability.
He said those entrusted with responsibility for the hospital's functioning should be held accountable.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal described the deaths as "heartbreaking and infuriating" and said the loss of newborns who had been admitted to the hospital to be saved raised serious questions about the safety of the health system.
Sapkal demanded a high-level and impartial inquiry and sought immediate fire and medical-equipment safety audits of all government and private hospitals in Maharashtra.
Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar said the deaths raised serious questions about the safety of the government healthcare system.
He said preliminary information suggested that the fire broke out after a ventilator exploded.
Wadettiwar demanded that the government fix responsibility instead of merely conducting an inquiry after the deaths.
He also called for immediate fire-safety and medical-equipment audits of all government hospitals in Maharashtra.
State minister Chandrakant Patil, in a post on X, said, "To prevent such accidents in the future, a detailed review of fire-safety arrangements in all hospitals in the state will be undertaken and necessary measures will be implemented.
" Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a high-level inquiry and directed that strict action be taken against those found responsible, he noted.
The families of the three deceased children would receive Rs 5 lakh each, while treatment of the injured children would be provided at government expense.
He said 36 children had been safely evacuated from the hospital, calling it a matter of relief.
Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde described the incident as tragic and said the injured children were being treated at a safe location. He expressed hope that their condition would improve and that all the children would recover.
(With inputs from PTI)