ADILABAD: Parents did what the system should have done — they rushed into a smoke-filled SNCU at RIMS, Adilabad, found their babies in the dark and carried them to safety. One father could not find his baby in time. The baby died at 12.40 am.
“I visited the SNCU twice during the night to ensure that my baby was safe. After that, I took a nap. Immediately afterwards, I heard a loud sound and saw that the ward was engulfed in smoke. I rushed into the ward. I lost my baby,” Saleem Khan of Ichoda told TNIE.
Saleem’s baby died at 12.40 am, allegedly due to suffocation. Recalling the incident, Saleem said the ward was filled with smoke and that the darkness made it extremely difficult to locate the babies. With the power supply disrupted, parents and doctors struggled to reach the incubators and identify the infants.
Eventually, the babies were brought out of the ward and shifted to nearby private hospitals. Saleem’s wife fainted after the incident and was in a critical condition. Some parents also sustained minor injuries during the rescue.
Another parent, Thota Laxman, said family members immediately rushed into the unit and helped rescue the babies. His daughter was only three days old. “Thank God. My baby is safe and her condition is stable,” Laxman told TNIE.
The district administration assured the families that the government would bear the cost of treatment at private hospitals. “The district collector assured me that the treatment cost at the private hospital will be borne by the government. He asked me to call if anyone demanded money,” Laxman said.
Discharge day that never came
For Kumra Dinesh, a tribal from Ginera Muthnoor in Indervelly mandal, the incident came just hours before his baby was due to be discharged. His wife had delivered the baby in the eighth month and, weighing only 2 kg, the infant had been at the SNCU since September 5. Doctors had told Dinesh that the baby would be discharged on Tuesday. Instead, the infant died following the incident.
An inconsolable Dinesh told TNIE that the baby was taken by ambulance to a private hospital after the incident, but was not admitted. The family then approached another hospital, where they were also turned away. They eventually brought the baby back to RIMS, where staff declared that the child had passed away.
The family returned to the hospital on Tuesday afternoon with the baby’s body to meet Health Minister C Damodar Rajnarsimha.
Durga Bhai Bheem Rao, a woman from Maharashtra, said she heard a loud sound and saw flames. She sustained burn injuries to her hand while carrying her baby out of the ward. She said the baby was stable.
T-JUDA seeks safety checks at govt hospitals
The Telangana Junior Doctors Association has raised concerns over the safety of patients and healthcare workers following a ceiling collapse at MGM Hospital and fire at RIMS. It demanded an immediate structural and safety audit of all MGM buildings and relocation of patients from unsafe areas. T-JUDA also sought immediate infrastructure upgrades at RIMS and other government medical colleges and teaching hospitals. It sought regular electrical safety audits, functional SNCU/NICU facilities, fire-safety systems, emergency exits, evacuation protocols, backup power and adequate bed capacity.
Minister: Expert panel to investigate cause of fire
Adilabad: Health Minister C Damodar Rajanarsimha has ordered a comprehensive probe into the fire at the SNCU of RIMS, Adilabad, and said appropriate action would be taken based on the inquiry report. The minister visited RIMS soon after the incident and reviewed the situation with officials. It was his first visit to the hospital since the Congress government came to power in 2023. He inspected the affected ward and interacted with the district collector Rajarshi Shah, RIMS officials and doctors about the rescue, condition of the infants and treatment being provided. The minister said the fire broke out around 11.40 pm on Monday. A preliminary inquiry indicated that it originated in an AC unit following an electrical short circuit, with burning plastic components generating thick smoke. He said the exact cause and any safety lapses would be established only after a detailed investigation. He said RIMS staff, the district administration, fire and police departments coordinated to move the newborns to safer areas. Power was disconnected and emergency medical care provided. Expressing grief over the deaths of three newborns, he said the condition of the rescued infants was being closely monitored, with local private hospitals enlisted where required. Rajanarsimha said an expert committee would examine the cause of the fire, safety lapses and maintenance failures and recommend preventive measures. He also ordered electrical, fire and civil structural safety audits at RIMS, with proposals to be submitted based on the expert committee’s findings. He said strict action would be taken against anyone found responsible for negligence. The minister also assured that measures would be taken within 100 days to develop RIMS on the lines of TIMS and other hospitals in Hyderabad.