PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
A 60-year-old woman died while 16 others, including 13 patients and three police personnel, sustained burn injuries after a fire broke out in the ICU of Panacea Hospital near Rispana bridge in Dehradun on Wednesday morning. The deceased woman has been identified as Veerwati, resident of a village in Dehradun district.
The Garhwal commissioner, Vinay Shankar Pandey visited the site and later said that the fire had been reportedly caused after an air conditioner exploded inside the ICU.
Police and fire department teams rushed to the hospital and launched a rescue operation to evacuate the patients trapped inside the smoke- filled wards. They then helped transfer all patients to the nearby Kailash Hospital.
The Dehradun district administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the matter. “After sealing the hospital’s emergency services temporarily, we have started a detailed investigation into the fire safety system installed there and the triggers for short circuit and AC blast,” a senior member of the investigating team said.
Among those who suffered burn injuries included a newborn Payal, two-year-old Gori, Brijmohan (19), Shambhu (20), Daulat (18), Nityanand (27), Mukesh (25). These patients were being treated at Kailash hospital while three had been admitted to Coronation Hospital. Two of the patients affected by the flames were discharged.
The director, Kailash Hospital, Pawan Sharma said that ambulances had been immediately sent upon receiving information about the incident and doctors who had already returned home after their night duty were also called back to the hospital. “By the time the 60-year-old elderly woman was brought to the hospital, she was already dead. Treatment of the other patients is continuing,” he said.
The chief fire officer, Dehradun, Abhinav Tyagi said that the fire team had reached the spot within five to seven minutes of receiving the information. “The fire and smoke remained confined to the ICU and the patients were evacuated in time,” he added.
Asked whether the hospital had the necessary fire safety arrangements in place, he answered in the affirmative, stating that the hospital had three exits, smoke sensors, fire extinguishers and hose reel systems. “When the fire team reached the hospital, no patient was found to have suffered serious burn injuries. The exact cause of the elderly woman’s death would be clear only after a medical examination,” he stated.
