CUTTACK: At least 32 patients including 18 newborn babies were evacuated after a fire broke out at a private hospital and the smoke later spread to another paediatric health facility beside it, here on Saturday afternoon.
As per sources, the fire broke out in the third floor of Radha Raman Hospital at Purighat and the smoke subsequently spread to Trisha Child Care where 18 newborns were undergoing treatment. Both the hospitals are reportedly owned by the same person.
Soon after locals noticed smoke emanating from the building, hospital staff were alerted and three fire tenders pressed to service to douse the blaze. A few patients had to be rescued with the help of a ladder as the entry and exit routes of the hospitals were narrow.
Till reports last came in, while 17 of the rescued patients including three children were shifted to SCB MCH, 15 babies were rushed to Sishu Bhawan for treatment. Of the 15 receiving treatment at Sishu Bhawan, five each are admitted in SNCU, newborn unit and hybrid ICU.
Hospital manager Gyanendra Samal attributed the cause of the blaze to electric short circuit in the third floor of the building. “We began the fire dousing operation using the existing fire extinguishers. In the meantime, the smoke spread to the adjacent building which fire fighting teams cleared using ventilation machines,” Samal said ruling out the spread of fire.
Chief district medical officer Makaranda Beuria said the hospital owner is yet to provide the exact number of patients who were undergoing treatment in the hospital when the mishap took place. “We are trying to find out if any patient was shifted to some other private hospital. As per preliminary inquiry, the 100-bed hospital’s fire safety certificate and certificate of registration under Clinical Establishment Act are valid till October and July 2025, respectively,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has announced that the state government would bear the cost of treatment of the patients. He further ordered for a high-level probe into the incident.
Speaking to The New Indian Express earlier in the day, director general of Fire Service Sudhansu Sarangi had shared the major challenge after the fire-like situation broke out was to keep the neonatal ventilators running as the DG sets were affected. However, using the battery back-ups, the nurses of the clinic had kept the ventilation systems on.
The clinic had a valid certificate. The smoke triggered by the short-circuit has been brought under control, he said.