JAIPUR: An infant who sustained critical burn injuries in a hospital in Rajasthan's Alwar district succumbed to her injuries during treatment on Wednesday.
The girl, as per a hospital source, was around three weeks old, and was shifted to the Jaipur based JK Lon hospital after she sustained 70 per cent burn injuries in the Government Geetanand Children's Hospital in Alwar, where she was first admitted for breathing problems.
Her parents said that she was alright on Monday till 10.30 p.m when they last saw the baby. However, on Tuesday morning, they received a call from the Geetanand Children's Hospital authorities informing them of a short circuit incident.
There were more than a dozen children in the ward when the short circuit was reported, who were then shifted to other wards. Two hospital staff members were also injured while saving the children.
However, eyewitnesses claim that there was no staff member available in the ward when the fire broke out and it was only after the dense fumes were seen, that the staff rushed to the ward.
Soon after the incident, the health department formed a three-member committee to probe the case. The committee included veteran medical officers, including joint director S. K. Bhandari, who recorded the statements of the hospital staff.
They reached the hospital and investigated the matter. They also recorded the statements of the staff members and compiled a report which shows gross irregularities on the part of the hospital staff. This report has been sent to the senior officials.
Hospital sources confirmed that the new born babies, who have breathing complications, were kept on the baby warmers in the 'Facility Based Newborn Care Operational Guidelines (FBNC) wards. The short circuit was reported on the baby warmer due to which the fire began.
As per the reports, the infant had an oxygen mask on her mouth, which is said to have caught fire due to which her face received critical burn injuries. She was rushed to a Jaipur based hospital on Tuesday where she succumbed to her injuries a day later.
The incident has come to the fore when the health and medical department was already facing criticism for the death of 91 children in the Kota situated JK Lon hospital.