LUCKNOW: A fire broke out late Monday night at the government-run Lok Bandhu Raj Narayan Combined Hospital, claiming one life and forcing the evacuation of nearly 200 patients.
The fire, believed to have been caused by a short circuit, broke out on the second floor of the hospital, which includes the female medicine ward, ICU, and HDU. At the time of the incident, approximately 40 to 50 patients were admitted on the affected floor, along with several attendants.
Rajkumar Prajapati, a 61-year-old ICU patient undergoing treatment for blood pressure-related issues, lost his life after the oxygen supply was cut off due to the fire. Meanwhile, 26-year-old Kanti remains in critical condition and has been shifted to the trauma centre at Balrampur Hospital, another government-run facility.
Meanwhile, the Outpatient Department (OPD) services at Lok Bandhu Hospital resumed hours after the fire incident on Tuesday morning. As per Hospital Director Dr Sangeeta Gupta, "OPD services have resumed. All OPD doctors are present here to attend to the patients."
Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak, who also holds the health and medical care portfolio in UP government, rushed to the spot supervising the evacuation of the patients on Monday night.
Speaking to mediapersons, he said, “After smoke was seen emanating from the second floor, evacuation of patients was immediately initiated. Approximately 200 patients in total have been moved to safety.”
The medical authorities, including the doctors present on duty in the hospital at the time of incident, claimed that every effort was made to shift the patients to other hospitals including Shayam Prasad Mukherjee Hospital and Balrampur hospital.
A few critically ill patients were transferred to the ICUs of King George’s Medical University and Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences. Additionally, pregnant women were relocated to Jhalkari Bai Hospital for continued care.
As per the eye witness account, the patients were taken out from the affected floor by the hospital employees and firemen on shoulders through the windows of the wards.
Deputy CM Pathak said that a high-level committee was set up to investigate the cause of the fire."The government has taken cognizance of the fire incident that happened yesterday at Lokbandhu Hospital, and a high-level committee has been formed to investigate the cause of the fire. As soon as its report comes out, we will make it public", he said.
Around a month-and-a-half ago, a mock drill was conducted by the fire brigade. Due to that mock drill, the entire hospital staff was prepared to deal with such an incident. I express my gratitude to the hospital authorities and the fire brigade staff; many lives were saved. Patients have been sent to different hospitals in Lucknow for treatment, where they are undergoing treatment," added Pathak.
It may be recalled that in a fire incident at prestigious Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) in Lucknow, two lives – of a woman suffering from parathyroid cancer and an infant—were lost on December 18, 2023.
In the wake of recurrent incidents of fire in hospitals, the fire safety department had issued notices to around 80 hospitals in state capital in November, last year, asking them to address the shortcomings promptly. These hospitals, both government-run and private, were served notices under the UP Fire Safety and Emergency Services Act 2022.
The deficiencies identified by the department after a survey included absence of proper fire extinguishing systems, failure to meet structural safety standards required for emergencies.
“Hospitals are critical infrastructure where fire safety cannot be compromised, " said a senior fire safety department official.
Similarly, in November, last year, in a major fire accident, 11 infants had died in Jhansi medical college raising questions over the fire safety measures adopted in health care facilities across the state.
There are 12,276 licensed hospitals in the state, and around 1800 with almost 20-25 hospitals in each district, were served notice, last year, asking them to spruce up their fire safety facilities.
As per chief fire officer Magesh Kumar, over 80% of fires happen due to electrical short circuits due to heavy usage of electrical appliances. “As heavy electrical equipment in hospitals run 24x7, they are more prone to suffering short circuits, which many a time take the form of fire. Many equipment have poor quality wires with lower current carrying capacities,” he said.