When a hearth at a authorities hospital killed 18 newborns in Jhansi final month, the headlines had been all too acquainted – a attainable quick circuit, a healthcare system working past capability, and high-level probes to repair duty.
The Indian Categorical appeared on the trigger and aftermath of 11 distinguished hospital fires within the final 5 years, which claimed 107 lives, and located that in all however one case from earlier this yr, the accused – hospital homeowners or heads – are out on bail. Considerably, in seven situations, courtroom circumstances are nonetheless dragging on.
The Indian Categorical checked out hospital fires that claimed 5 or extra lives. To make sure, this can be a fraction of the full hospital or clinic fires up to now half-decade – between January 2020 and October 2024, there have been no less than 105 such reported incidents.
Considerably, there was a rise in deadly fireplace incidents throughout Covid-19 – 9 of the 11 incidents The Indian Categorical checked out occurred in 2020, 2021 and 2022. 5 occurred in 2021 when the pandemic was at its peak and the healthcare system was overstretched.
Police outdoors the NICU ward of the hospital in Jhansi. (Categorical picture by Vishal Srivastav)
There have been many different startling revelations – no less than eight of the 11 fires had been seemingly brought on by quick circuits, with improper upkeep {of electrical} traces and gear responsible; a number of hospitals ignored primary security measures and lacked firefighting gear like extinguishers, hoses, sprinklers and well-trained workers; and the federal government companies did not maintain a examine on hospitals operating on expired fireplace certificates, violating development norms, and lacking key security measures in place.
The findings:
Bail is the norm
Barring the hearth in Delhi, which occurred this yr, the accused in all different circumstances have been granted bail. The FIRs had been registered underneath sections corresponding to 304 (culpable murder not amounting to homicide), 304A (inflicting demise by negligence), 336 (acts that endanger the non-public security or lifetime of others), 337 (inflicting damage to a different particular person by performing rashly or negligently), and 34 (frequent intention), amongst others.
At the very least seven of the 11 courtroom circumstances are nonetheless underway – indicating how lengthy the judicial course of can stretch.
Furthermore, in seven of the 11 circumstances, the proprietor or docs in opposition to whom the circumstances had been filed have both began practising elsewhere or working as a part of hospital administration.
In one of many circumstances, Ahmednagar Civil Hospital, the accused is a authorities worker, and prosecution sanction sought from the federal government well being division in 2022 continues to be pending. In one other case, RC Hazra Memorial Hospital in Dhanbad, the docs who owned the hospital additionally died within the fireplace. No legal motion was initiated within the case of the Bhandara district hospital fireplace.
Two of the 11 hospitals — each government-run medical establishments in Maharashtra — stay useful. In relation to Gujarat’s Patel Welfare Hospital, the fireplace occurred in a brand new momentary construction arrange throughout Covid-19. The hospital continues to run from its outdated constructing. Equally, in Gujarat’s Uday Shivanand Hospital, a watch hospital continues to be run from the bottom ground of the construction, the place the hearth occurred in a Covid-19 centre being run on the primary and second ground. In relation to Ramesh Hospital, which was operating a Covid-19 centre at Swarna Palace resort, permission to lease locations to deal with Covid-19 sufferers was cancelled by the federal government. The hospital stays useful inside its personal complicated.
In poor health-maintained and ill-equipped hospitals
In 9 incidents, requisite fireplace security measures weren’t in place. Not solely had been hospitals ill-equipped to sort out a blaze, however lack of upkeep {of electrical} traces and gear was a direct explanation for the hearth in no less than six circumstances.
In Gujarat’s Patel Welfare Hospital, the place 18 individuals, together with two nurses, died on Might 1, 2021, false data had been allegedly submitted by the administration to point out that fireside extinguishing and safety techniques had been put in “when in reality no such motion was taken”, famous the report of an inquiry fee headed by retired justice DA Mehta set as much as examine the incident. The hearth was allegedly brought on by a free wire from a ventilator.
The Welfare Hospital in Bharuch district. (Categorical picture by Bhupendra Rana)
In Maharashtra’s Vijay Vallabh Hospital, the place 15 individuals died on April 23, 2021, an knowledgeable committee discovered alleged shortcomings in firefighting techniques. In keeping with sources acquainted with the probe of an knowledgeable committee, the hospital allegedly didn’t have useful sprinklers. Maharashtra’s fireplace security norms state that each one hospitals, regardless of top, ought to have fireplace extinguishers, hose reels, sprinklers, automated fireplace detection and alarm techniques, and terrace tanks and pumps. The investigation additionally discovered that the hospital allegedly didn’t have a no-objection certificates from the division involved. The blaze allegedly occurred due to a spark in an AC that was run around the clock regardless of not being of enough capability, the investigation discovered.
An audit by the civic fireplace brigade carried out earlier than the hearth at Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar Civil Hospital, the place 11 individuals died on November 6, 2021, had instructed organising a firefighting system. The hospital allegedly didn’t have water sprinklers or smoke alarms, and workers weren’t skilled in utilizing fireplace extinguishers. The identical audit additionally discovered that essential fireplace security techniques had been allegedly not put in place on account of fund shortages.
At Maharashtra’s Bhandara district hospital, the place 10 individuals died in a hearth on January 9, 2021, voltage fluctuation and put on and tear within the management panel allegedly led to a brief circuit and induced the hearth, discovered Nagpur Commissioner Sanjeev Kumar and the six different officers investigating the incident.
There was a rise in deadly fireplace incidents throughout Covid-19 – 9 of the 11 incidents.
After years of not getting permission, Mumbai’s Dawn Hospital, the place 11 individuals perished in a hearth on March 26, 2021, was allowed to start out functioning inside a mall in the course of the pandemic primarily based on a short lived certificates. In the course of the firefighting operations, it was seen that mechanisms corresponding to sprinklers had been inactive, in keeping with Deputy Municipal Commissioner of Catastrophe Administration and former Chief Fireplace Officer Prabhat Rahangdale.
Andhra Pradesh’s Resort Swarna Palace, which was transformed right into a Covid care centre, allegedly had no fireplace alarms, sprinklers, or different firefighting gear, a probe by a authorities committee discovered following the demise of 10 individuals on August 9, 2020. {The electrical} system was discovered to be outdated and incapable of dealing with the variety of ACs that had been operating.
Madhya Pradesh’s New Life Hospital, the place eight individuals died on August 1, 2022, allegedly had an absence of different exits, poor air flow, and inadequate fireplace extinguishers and hose roll, the probe by a high-level authorities committee headed by the divisional commissioner (income) discovered. The hearth was brought on by extreme heating of the electrical generator set, regardless of reminders by the corporate to the hospital urging them to service the machine, the probe discovered.
Gujarat’s Shrey Hospital, the place eight individuals died in a hearth on August 6, 2020, allegedly didn’t have the advisable two emergency exit stairs. The hearth began on account of a brief circuit in a affected person monitor, which was 15 years outdated, 3 times its prescribed life span, the probe by an inquiry fee headed by retd Justice DA Mehta discovered.
In Delhi’s Child Care New Born Hospital, the place six infants died in a hearth earlier this yr on Might 25, fireplace security gear was allegedly missing, the hospital had 12 beds as a substitute of the sanctioned 5, and it had saved too many oxygen cylinders in a hazardous method, the police probe discovered.
At Gujarat’s Uday Shivanand Covid-19 hospital, the place 5 individuals died on November 27, 2020, a authorities fee headed by then further secretary (panchayat and rural housing) A Ok Rakesh tasked with investigating the incident discovered that the emergency exit was “closed and blocked” by medical gear and the administration had not adopted fireplace security pointers. The fee concluded that the believable supply of the hearth may have been a ventilator with faulty wiring inside.
Violation of constructing codes, lack of oversight
The probes into the fires additionally discovered alleged violations of constructing codes, unlawful development, and situations of presidency departments falling quick of their obligation.
Authorities commissions underneath retd Justice DA Mehta, set as much as look into two of the three hospital fires in Gujarat — at Shrey Hospital and Patel Welfare Hospital – highlighted the federal government’s follow of regularising unauthorised constructions for a charge. This meant that constructing homeowners may simply pay authorities to regularise development that was not a part of the plan initially authorized by them. The fee investigating the Shrey Hospital fireplace famous that “there can’t be (such) a blanket coverage” and that medical and academic premises shouldn’t be permitted to function in illegally constructed constructions. The fee additionally famous that the fatalities may have been prevented had the unauthorised constructions not been authorized. The fee investigating the Patel Welfare Hospital fireplace advisable that the state undertake a “critical relook” on the coverage of regularising unauthorised development, “extra particularly in case of nursing houses and/or hospitals.” “If unauthorised development in and on the premises of Patel Welfare Hospital, Bharuch wouldn’t have been regularised, the fatalities may have been averted,” it famous.
Madhya Pradesh’s New Life hospital allegedly operated on two flooring regardless of permission for just one, a probe by the federal government commmittee discovered. The constructing allegedly lacked a completion certificates. The probe additionally discovered that the hearth engineer had allegedly made an faulty fireplace plan; there was no motion in opposition to the hospital despite the fact that it violated constructing permissions; and there was no motion by the municipal company of Jabalpur one yr after the provisional fireplace NOC lapsed. Within the aftermath of the case, motion was initiated in opposition to officers who inspected the hospital and gave it a health certificates, in addition to in opposition to the Chief Medical and Well being Officer who granted a license to the well being facility.
Maharashtra’s Dawn Hospital allegedly violated a number of constructing norms. Situated inside a mall, it stood 2.7-3 metres excessive, lower than the necessary 3.6 metres. A deliberate escalator was allegedly eliminated to assemble a devoted raise for the hospital. Paperwork of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Company additionally present {that a} deputy engineer from its Constructing Proposals Division had warned the civic physique to not enable the hospital to operate in 2020. Additional, the hospital had acquired a hearth NOC from a third-party company stating that each one firefighting measures had been in place. Following the hearth, the NOC issued a number of months earlier than the incident was cancelled, and the hearth security auditor from the third-party company was arrested.
Within the case of the nationwide capital, solely buildings over the peak of 9 metres or greater than two storeys wanted a hearth NOC. This meant that Child Care New Born Hospital, which operated on the bottom plus one ground, didn’t require an NOC in any respect. After the incident, Delhi well being minister Saurabh Bharadwaj introduced that each one hospitals, no matter dimension, would require a hearth NOC. That is but to be carried out.
With further reporting by Nayonika Bose, Anand Mohan J, Abhishek Angad, Gopal B Kateshiya, Kamaal Saiyed, Anuradha Mascarenhas, Sushant Kulkarni, Siddhant Konduskar & Aditi Raja
