A day after the death of four infants in a fire at a hospital in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ordered for the fire safety audit of all government and private hospitals in the state. The chief minister said the fire at the hospital in the state capital was a result of “criminal negligence”, and the guilty will not be spared.
“It was our (government’s) responsibility to save these children as they were under our protection. This is a serious incident,” he said addressing state ministers and government officials before the cabinet meeting. “This is criminal negligence. Whoever is guilty will not be spared. We need to prevent such unfortunate incidents in future. All necessary arrangements should be made to avoid such incidents,” he said.
The CM also said fire safety was now more important as oxygen plants and their supply lines were installed at various hospitals in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A major fire broke out in the special newborn care unit (SNCU) located on the third floor of the government-run Kamla Nehru Children’s Hospital building here, killing four infants.
“I had directed earlier also to conduct the fire safety audit of hospitals. Now, I am telling the chief secretary to submit a report about which hospital’s fire safety audit was conducted and which were left out,” Chouhan said before the state cabinet meeting.
Chouhan also ordered for the fire safety audit of all government and private hospitals of the state again to prevent such incidents in future. He praised state Medical Education Minister Vishvas Sarang, who immediately rushed to the hospital here after the blaze and took care of the relief works.
The doctors, nurses, ward boys and other people who saved 36 infants by putting their lives in danger will be felicitated, the CM said. Chouhan also said he was keen to visit the spot but “I was stopped so that the relief work could go on smoothly.” The CM said he was issuing directives to the officials throughout the night and taking stock of the situation. After the fire in the hospital, Chouhan had ordered a high-level probe into it, to be conducted by Additional Chief Secretary, health and medical education, Mohammad Suleiman.
