KOZHIKODE: The death of four patients who were evacuated after smoke engulfed the emergency block of the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital on Friday night continues to raise questions, even as the preliminary postmortem examination concluded that the deaths were not caused by smoke inhalation.
Health Minister Veena George, who visited the spot on Saturday, announced that a team of medical experts from outside the Kozhikode MCH will be appointed to investigate allegations by relatives of the deceased that the patients on ventilators died during evacuation. The allegation is that the deaths could have happened when the critically-ill patients were evacuated without proper medical support.
Yusuf Ali, brother of a patient, Naseera, alleged that her health had improved before she was removed from the ventilator and that she died while being removed from the ventilator.
The postmortem of Gopalan, 65, from West Hill; Surendran, 59, from Vadakara; and Gangadharan, 70, from Meppayur, revealed that the cause of death was cardiac arrest. According to the preliminary autopsy findings of Meppadi native Naseera, 44, the death was due to poisoning. A migrant worker Ganga, 34, was brought dead to the hospital. However, the samples of their internal organs will be sent for further examination.
The explosion, which occurred around 8 pm on Friday, originated in the UPS room adjacent to the MRI scan unit. It was followed by a heavy release of smoke, causing panic among patients and their bystanders. The initial investigation report of the Fire and Rescue Services team stated that the smoke was caused by a short circuit in the UPS.
PWD inspectorate, forensic team to determine cause of explosion: Min
As many as 38 batteries set in five tiers were burnt and damaged. Before the smoke, there had been three power outages at the block. It is being investigated whether there was a problem with the quality of the battery.
A major rescue operation took place at the hospital after smoke engulfed the block. All the doctors, nurses, fire and rescue teams, police, ambulance drivers, people’s representatives, and local residents came together to safely shift more than 200 people, including the patients and their bystanders.
Out of the 151 patients who were in the emergency block at the time, 114 continue to receive treatment at the medical college hospital. A total of 37 patients were shifted to various other hospitals, including 12 to the General Hospital, and others to Baby Memorial, Aster MIMS, Iqraa, Nirmala, Star Care, and the Kozhikode District Cooperative Hospital.
Veena said among the five deaths, one individual was brought in dead due to hanging, while another suffered cardiac arrest around 7pm. One patient on a non-invasive ventilator was shifted without interruption, and another was transported with an alternative ventilator facility in an ambulance by a doctor himself. “During the meeting with the department heads, the need for protocol to evacuate patients during such emergency situations was also discussed, she said.
According to the minister, fire and rescue and forensic teams have been deployed to investigate the UPS room in detail. The PWD inspectorate and the forensic science team are collaborating to determine the cause of the explosion. “The engineers and departmental doctors stated that the Philips UPS unit had a valid battery warranty until October 2026. The required maintenance was carried out every six months, with no issues detected till date. Only after a full technical analysis and forensic report can we understand the true cause of this accident. We cannot jump to conclusions based on assumptions,” Veena said.
The government has to take a decision on the expenses incurred by the patients who were shifted to the private hospital. Relatives of a patient said the expense for one day would come around Rs 1 lakh, which includes the ventilator and scanning charges and the cost of medicines.