Hyderabad, Sep 23 The toll in the fire accident in the SNCU of the state-run RIMS in Adilabad district rose to five after two more infants died on Wednesday, police said.
State Health Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha said an ex-gratia of Rs five lakh each would be provided to the families of the deceased children as per the directives of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
The minister, after inquiring about the babies’ health condition with officials, told them to shift the children to major hospitals in Hyderabad for advanced medical care if necessary, an official release said.
He said construction of a 150-bedded mother and child care facility in the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) would be taken up on a war-footing.
Three babies died after the fire broke out late on Monday in the air-conditioning unit of the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU), apparently due to a short circuit. Thick smoke spread through the unit after plastic parts of the AC caught fire.
Twenty-seven infants undergoing treatment in the unit were shifted to different private hospitals.
Doctors, hospital staff, fire and police personnel and others present in the hospital participated in the rescue of children and other relief efforts.
One pre-term baby was declared brought dead, and two others died on Tuesday.
“Two more infants succumbed on Wednesday, taking the death toll to five,” a senior police official said.
Four others were taken home by their parents after their condition became stable, officials earlier said.
The health minister, who visited the hospital on Tuesday, said an expert committee would conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the cause of the fire, lapses in safety and administration, and suggest measures to prevent such incidents.
Meanwhile, Telangana Human Rights Commission (TGHRC) Chairperson Shameem Akther, taking cognizance of media reports regarding the tragic fire incident, has called for a detailed report from the Principal Secretary for Health, Medical and Family Welfare in Telangana. This report should cover the circumstances leading to the fire, the safety and maintenance arrangements in the SNCU, the measures taken for rescue and treatment of the affected infants, and the findings of any inquiry conducted into the incident.
The Commission considered it necessary to ascertain the facts and circumstances leading to the incident and the infants’ deaths, an official release said. The matter has been posted to October 27.
(PTI News)
