Amravati hospital fire: Maharashtra orders high-level probe after three newborns die; Oppn targets govt

The deaths of three newborns in a fire at the District Womens Hospital in Amravati on Monday have triggered a political row in Maharashtra with Opposition leaders questioning hospital safety measures and alleging negligenceThe fire broke out in the early hours of Monday Hospital staff managed to evacuate 36 infants while three newborns died in the incidentThe hospital staff acted quickly to move the infants to safety after the fire broke outMaharashtra Public Health Minister Prakashrao Abitkar expressed deep sorrow over the deaths and defended the response of the medical staff reported the PTIHe said hospital personnel provided ventilator support and made every possible effort to save the newborns but were unfortunately unable to do soThe exact cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the deaths are expected to be established through the inquiry ordered by the state governmentOpposition questions safety measuresOpposition leaders have raised questions over the safety arrangements at the hospital Some have claimed that the fire may have been linked to a ventilator explosion though the circumstances are subject to investigation according to the PTINCP SP leader and former state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said recommendations made after the 2021 Bhandara hospital fire in which 10 infants died had not been fully implemented reported the PTIDeshmukh called for the immediate implementation of those recommendations and demanded fire and electrical safety audits of hospitals across MaharashtraYashomati Thakur seeks accountabilityCongress leader and former minister Yashomati Thakur who visited the hospital after the incident questioned the claim that a ventilator blast caused the fireThakur said a similar incident had reportedly occurred at the hospital around three years ago and raised questions about the safety of medical equipment and electrical connectionsShe also sought information about the supplier of the ventilators and demanded that responsibility be fixed if negligence is establishedThakur further alleged that the government had not paid adequate attention to healthcare infrastructure and safety while raising concerns about the availability of doctors and other facilities at the hospitalBJP ally Ravi Rana raises questionsAmravati MLA and ruling BJP ally Ravi Rana also said a similar fire had occurred at the hospital around three years ago as per the PTIHe questioned how such an incident could happen again despite the hospital having moved to a new buildingRana alleged negligence involving doctors staff and the system and called for an inquiry to establish accountability He said those responsible for the hospitals functioning should be held accountable if wrongdoing is foundCongress demands statewide safety auditsMaharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal described the deaths as heartbreaking and said the incident raised serious questions about the safety of the states healthcare systemHe demanded a highlevel and impartial inquiry along with immediate firesafety and medicalequipment audits of all government and private hospitals across Maharashtra the news agency reportedCongress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar also called for accountability He said preliminary information suggested that the fire followed a ventilator explosion and demanded that responsibility be fixed rather than simply ordering another inquiryGovernment orders review of hospital safetyState minister Chandrakant Patil said a detailed review of firesafety arrangements at hospitals across Maharashtra would be undertakenHe said necessary measures would be implemented to prevent similar incidents in the futurePatil also said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had ordered a highlevel inquiry and directed that strict action be taken against anyone found responsibleFamilies to receive Rs 5 lakh eachThe families of the three newborns who died in the fire will receive Rs 5 lakh each according to PatilHe also said the treatment of injured children would be provided at government expenseThe safe evacuation of 36 children was described as a matter of relief amid the tragedyRuling Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde described the incident as tragic and said the injured children were being treated at a safe locationAs the government inquiry gets underway political parties have called for the findings to be made public and for responsibility to be fixed if lapses in fire safety medical equipment or hospital management are establishedThe incident has once again brought focus on fire and electrical safety standards in hospitals particularly facilities caring for newborns and other vulnerable patients the news agency reportedwith PTI inputs