Fire at Bhandara Hospital in Maharashtra: 10 newborns die

Government of Maharashtra announces compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of each deceased infant

CM Uddhav Thackeray orders high level inquiry

(By Representative) Mumbai, Ta. Saturday, January 9, 2021

A special fire at the Government Hospital's Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) in Bhandara, Maharashtra, left 10 children dead in a blaze at night. Meanwhile, seven children survived the rescue operation.

The bodies of the children have been handed over to their families. On the other hand, an inquiry has been ordered into the incident. The fire was put out by the fire brigade. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the fire was caused by a short circuit.

One to three month old babies were admitted to the hospital's SNCU ward due to low weight and poor health. But at about two o'clock at night the nurse saw the smoke. The matter was reported to the fire brigade. Ten children were killed in the blaze. It consisted mostly of girls.

With the help of a hospital staff, seven bucks were rescued with the help of seven children. The cries of the mother and family after the death of the children were reported spread grief in the hospital. The fire is said to have started due to a short circuit. Financial help was announced by the government. The family of the deceased alleged that the girl had lost her life due to the closure of the hospital.

The whole country was in an uproar over the incident. Other leaders, including President Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, expressed grief.

A thorough investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the fire. Strict action has been ordered against the culprit. There is talk that hospital staff were asleep when the fire broke out.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has ordered an immediate high-level inquiry into the fire at Bhandara District Hospital. It has also announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh per family to the families of innocent children who died in the fire. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has expressed grief over the death of 10 newborns in a fire in the child care unit of Bhandara District Hospital.

It has also ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident. A fire broke out in the neonatal intensive care unit of Bhandara District Hospital late on Friday night. It killed ten newborns. The incident has shaken Maharashtra and raised the issue of security in government hospitals once again.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has taken serious note of the incident. As soon as the fire was reported, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray held discussions with Health Minister Rajesh Tope and directed an immediate inquiry into the whole incident. The Chief Minister has also talked to the Collector and the Superintendent of Police and directed an inquiry.

Five lakh rupees compensation has been announced to the families of the ten children who died. Health Minister Rajesh Tope and State Health Minister Rajendra Patil visited the hospital. The seven children who died were suffocated by the smoke and three died in the blaze. The bodies of the children have been directed to be handed over to the families.

He also said that strict action would be taken against those found guilty in the investigation and care would be taken to prevent such incidents in future. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy and ordered all concerned to conduct an immediate audit of the child care departments of all other hospitals in the state.