Jhansi hospital fire: Another infant dies, toll rises to 12 | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Another infant from the 39 rescued during the Jhansi’s Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College fire incident has died, bringing the total casualties to 12, according to officials.
At least 39 infants were rescued from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the hospital on Friday night, as confirmed by a senior medical college official.
IAS officer Kinjal Singh, DG Medical Education Uttar Pradesh who was there in the hospital to inspect the reason behoind the fire incident, said that they will visit the site again.
“We were instructed to hold inspections considering three primary parameters. One was to see what was the main reason for the incident, what precautions can be taken in other medical colleges and to find out who is responsible for this. We held our inspection on these three parameters. We visited the site, and we recorded the statements of 16-17 people. Tomorrow, we will hold another site inspection,” says IAS officer Kinjal Singh said.
Dr. Narendra Singh Sengar, Principal of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, confirmed to PTI, “Of the 39 children rescued from the NICU fire on Friday night, one more has died. The child was admitted in a critical condition.”
The NICU incident occurred unexpectedly on Friday night, affecting 49 children under treatment. Whilst 39 infants were rescued, 10 initially lost their lives due to suffocation or burns, as explained by Dr. Sengar.
He further stated, “One of the rescued children passed away on Sunday morning, and another, the child of Jalaun resident Vishal and his wife Muskan, died on Monday during treatment due to illness. This brings the total fatalities to 12, while 37 children are still under treatment.”
The Director-General of Health and Medical Services visited the facility on Monday with a team to assess the situation, including an examination of the affected NICU, according to Dr. Sengar, who noted that quantifying the total damage remains challenging at present.
This incident at one of Bundelkhand region’s primary healthcare facilities in UP has raised significant questions about safety measures in medical institutions. Authorities continue to investigate the cause and responsibility for the incident.
The UP government established a four-member investigative committee on Saturday to examine the hospital fire. Their responsibilities include determining the fire’s cause and any potential negligence, with findings due within seven days.