As Amaravati blaze kills 3 infants, NCP(SP) demands fire audit of all govt hospitals

Nagpur: NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, reacting to the Amravati hospital fire, called it “very unfortunate” and demanded that the administration conducts fire audit of all government hospitals and also prepare a six-month action plan.

Rohit Pawar, speaking to IANS, said, “This is a very unfortunate incident. Three children, all from poor families, lost their lives. A similar incident had occurred in 2021, after which a special committee was formed and tasked with auditing hospitals across Maharashtra and recommending measures that needed to be taken.”

He demanded that the government prepares a six-month action plan.

“The committee submitted its report to the government, but unfortunately, we understand that no action was taken on it. Therefore, the government should prepare a six-month action plan based on that report and inform people about the measures that will be implemented in every government hospital in every taluka of Maharashtra,” he said.

The NCP (SP) MLA further alleged that the government does not value the lives of the poor.

“Whenever such incidents occur, it is the poor who lose their lives. We feel that this government does not value the lives of the poor. If you look at the figures, around 44,000 children have died in the last three years due to various reasons, including malnutrition, serious illnesses, accidents, and snakebites, in schools and hostels for tribal children. This issue also needs to be addressed,” he said.

BJP leader Navneet Rana raised questions over the fire audit at the hospital and demanded strict action.

“How many times has the fire audit been conducted? Many poor children come to the government hospital, and we have lost three children today. I think strict action will be taken in this matter. I have just spoken to the minister and requested that an immediate letter be issued. If the fire audit was not conducted, then who is responsible for this?” she said.

According to preliminary reports, an explosion in a ventilator sparked the blaze, which quickly engulfed the unit. The ventilator explosion led to the rapid spread of fire and smoke inside the ward. The exact cause of the blaze remains unknown, and authorities are investigating the site to determine what triggered the fire.

Duty doctors, nurses, and hospital staff managed to rescue several infants from the unit as soon as the fire was detected. The third floor houses three NICU wards with a combined capacity of 39 beds (13 in each). The unit where the fire broke out reportedly had 9 to 12 high-risk, premature infants under critical care at the time.

The tragic event has sparked intense outrage and raised severe questions regarding the emergency preparedness of the medical facility. Despite the building being newly constructed — inaugurated just a year ago by the late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar — the automated fire suppression system reportedly failed to activate. Authorities are investigating whether the ventilator that exploded was outdated, poorly maintained, or suffered from a critical technical failure.

IANS