BHOPAL: Dr Jyotsana Srivastava, HoD Pediatric of Hamidia Hospital, has termed the fire at special newborn care units (SNCU) ward of Kamla Nehru hospital an accidental claiming that the wiring and electric fittings were changed two years ago.
“Fire tragedy was accidental as all things like wiring and electric sockets were in order in the pediatric ward as far as maintenance is concerned,” said Srivastava.
She further said, “All the fire extinguishers were functional. Doctors and paramedical staff used them to douse the flames. However, one flame flared up and spread in the area. Had the fire intensified the damages would have been grave as most of the items were of plastic in the ward.”
“I myself got the wiring and sockets changed in 2018 in the pediatric ward. This year in April and July, I got the electric fittings changed in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and special newborn care units (SNCU). I did what was best at my level, however as far as quality of the wiring and sockets is concerned, I cannot comment on it as it’s procurement is not under the jurisdiction of a doctor,” she added.
Meanwhile, fire at Kamla Nehru Hospital has exposed not only the Hamidia Hospital administration but also the National Health Mission (NHM). The ventilators were sourced through NHM, said the doctors at Hamidia Hospital, adding that NHM did not provide technical support.
It is not possible for doctors to ascertain how much power the ventilators would draw from the main supply line.
Dr ID Chaurasia, former medical superintendent of Hamidia Hospital, said, “National health mission supplied the ventilators. NHM as well as the Capital Project Authority (CPA) are both accountable to ensure infra requirements.
Our authority should not shrug off their responsibility, said Chaurasia, adding that, “It is a fact that NHM did not provide the required technical support after supplying ventilators and machines, '' said Chaurasia. But it is also true that CPA or our senior authority did not take maintenance work seriously.”
