Jhansi Both the state health department and Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, where a late-night fire in its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) killed 10 newborns, have claimed that the ward was equipped with functioning fire extinguishers that were used to contain the flames. .
However, it has emerged that the extinguishers had labels on them indicating that their expiry was due in 2022. Also, the fire alarm failed to activate during the incident. Eyewitnesses confirmed that the extinguishers were ineffective when used by hospital staff.
Eyewitnesses and first responders, including Kripal Singh Rajput, Kuldeep Sikarwar and Govind Das from Barauli Kharag in rural Jhansi, stated that a ward boy, Pawan, used four fire extinguishers in his attempt to put out the flames. “They [the extinguishers] did not discharge foam as they should have,” said Kripal and Govind.
The fire dousers had labels on them showing that they were refilled in 2019 and were set to expire in 2022. They had been supplied by Peetambara Fire Services in Jhansi. The company’s office did not respond to this reporter’s calls.
Kuldeep stated that the fire alarm installed above the entrance did not go off at all when the fire broke out.
Despite these concerns, the medical college and the health department maintained that the firefighting equipment was functional. The medical college’s chief medical officer, Dr. Satish Chandra insisted that the fire extinguishers were refilled in June this year. “Rudraksha Traders refilled the extinguishers in June, and we have receipts to prove it,” he added.
Deputy chief minister Brijesh Pathak also weighed in and stated that a fire safety audit of the entire medical college was carried out in February this year, and shortcomings that emerged during the exercise were promptly addressed. Additionally, a mock drill to assess emergency preparedness was conducted in June, he added.
When asked about the labels on the extinguishers, Pathak said it was common for the refilling companies to not remove old labels. “In this case, the old labels were not removed, and it is being looked into as to why this happened,” he said. “The medical college had installed four fire extinguishers in the ward. They were refilled in June and were working. A ward boy emptied all of them [in his attempt to put out the flames],” he added.
