20160324 India 26 newborns narrowly escape hospital fire
India Mar 24 2016 “Hospitals”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured 0 or unknown
26 newborns narrowly escape hospital fire
Updated: 2016-03-24-11:01
Fire broke out in Sick Neonatal Care Unit (SNCU) of Government hospital, Kalaburgi on Wednesday and 26 newly born babies were rescued by the hospital staff and shifted them to other private hospital for treatment.
Luckily, the presence of mind of hospital staff and attenders helped to save the lives all babies when the fire broke out. All the babies were shifted to private medical hospitals from this hospital after this incident.
Aro und 2.15 pm, one of AC in the SNCU caught fire due to short circuit. Soon after the fire broke out in AC, smoke started coming out of the AC unit and within a few minutes, thick smoke had covered inside the SNCU triggering panic among the hospital staff, parents of babies, who were admitted in the unit. Without wasting time, hospital staff, doctors have switched off ventilators, and incubators inside the unit and carefully taken out the babies from incubator and handed them over to their parents when entire SNCU was covered with thick smoke. A few male nurses also smashed and broken the window panes and main door of the SNCU to clear the smoke which was engulfed inside the unit. Even some parents and attenders had also broken the windows from the outside by using bamboos. It helped a lot to clear the smoke and shift the babies immediately from the unit.
Sp eaking to TOI, Narashima Murthy, Male nurse, said, I was working in the other ward adjacent to the SNCU, and I was shocked to seesmoke coming out of the SNCU and immediately rushed to the unit where I saw the whole unit was being engulfed with thick smoke. Other male nurses also joined me and we all started breaking glass windows and also broken the main door of the unit. We also helped female nurses and doctors to hand over the babies to their parents to rescue them from the thick smoke.
Fakkirappa, another male nurse sustained some injuries while breaking the window glass but, we managed to break open all the windows. Later, we realized that thick smoke was the result of blast in the AC, he said.
Dr Nalini Namoshi, Superintendent of Government Hospital, Kalburgi, said that it was around 2.15pm, there was blast in the AC in the Sick Neonatal Care unit. There were around 8 ACs in the unit, one of them got blasted due to overload and short circuit. Due to fire broke out in AC, there was thick smoke inside the unit, and all our alerted staff members including doctors on duty involved in shirting the babies to other hospital carefully. When there was smoke inside the unit, we immediately handed over the babies to their parents and also made arrangements to shift the babies to private medical hospitals including Sangameshwar hospital, Basaveshwar and KBN hospital.
She also denied the report that a baby sustained minor injuries in the incident and clarified that no baby was injured in the incident and all 26 babies are safe and were shifted to other hospital. Timely action by the hospital staff and doctors saved the lives of babies, she asserted.
A team of electrical engineers are evaluating the situation to find out the exact reason for the blast in the AC, she added. She also said that our electrical inspector will give report about the incident in next two days and it takes some more days to restore the SNCU back to normal so we have requested private hospitals to provide free treatment and medicines to the babies who were shifted their from our hospital. We will also convince the government to settle the bills of private hospitals. I will also keep visiting private hospital where babiens from our hosptialw ere shifted to ensure free treatment to all babies.
F R Sharif, Chief Fire Officer, Kalburgi zone, said, I visited the spot and extinguished the fire before it could spread to other areas. Air conditioned unit fixed on the wall caught fire due to short circuit. Continuous use and flow of electricity inside the AC unit led to short circuit. Luckily, fire did not spread. Due to thick smoke, there was some panic, but all babies were shifted safely from the SNCU.
Mothers Quotes:
* I was completely shocked to see thick smoke coming out of the SNCU where my baby was admitted. I gave birth to premature day which has some complication so baby was admitted in the unit. I started screaming for help and had argument with hospital staff to allow me inside the unit. I was convinced by staff, and they handed over my baby. Later, my baby was shifted to a private hospital. Now, we are relaxed, baby is out of danger.
Iramma, mother of a one month baby, Shakapur, Jewargi tlauk.
* I gave birth to girl baby two days back and I was in labour ward while my child was in SNCU since my baby was suffering for jaundice problem. My mother was waiting outside the unit. When I saw everyone in the ward were apprehensive and panic, and then I came to know that there was blast in the SNCU. I immediately alerted my mother and sent her to SNCU to bring back my baby. Luckily, my baby was handed over to my mother by female nurse. Later, my baby was shifted to a private hospital.
Sharanamma, Bhavaninagar, Kalburgi.
I was waiting outside the SNCU after giving birth to my premature baby in the seventh month and my baby was kept in the unit for treatment. I was literally nervous to see thick smoke coming out of the unit. I rushed to the unit and pleaded with hospital staff to let me inside to see my baby. Hospital staff pacified me and handed over my baby asking me to take it to a private hospital. Luckily, nothing has happened to my baby and now my baby has been admitted in a private hopistal, said Nandini, Ratkal village of Chincholli.
Web Source: THE TIMES OF INDIA
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubballi/26-newborns-narrowly-escape-hospital-fire/articleshow/51537274.cms