A case under Section 304 (A) has been registered against the management of Rohini Hospital for alleged negligence. A team comprising five departments on Tuesday visited the hospital to inquire into the causes of fire mishap on Monday evening.
The team members said they would submit a report to the district administration in a day or two while concluding preliminarily that leakage in oxygen cylinder led to the fire.
The fire mishap at the hospital created tension and 199 patients were shifted to other hospitals safely. Two patients died of suffocation as they could not be rescued on time owing to confusion and panic.
Four members – two doctors and two Sub Inspectors played key role in ensuring that the patients vacated from the hospital from second and third floors. Junior doctors Vamshi and Mahender and two SIs from Subedari police Satish and Mahender braved the thick smoke and lurking danger. They brought about 80 patients to safety on stretchers within minutes.
“It took 20 minutes to vacate the premises. The situation seemed alarming and there was no time to think,” said Mr. Satish. Commissioner of Police G. Sudheer Babu, who arrived on the spot within minutes too carried the patients on stretchers along with staff and his personnel. He remained at the venue till late in the night ensuring that all the patients were shifted to other hospitals and arranged for ambulances wherever available.
“It was a terrible moment for all of us. The rescue operation had to be quick and successful and fortunately we could do our best,” Mr. Sudheer Babu told The Hindu .
He said they would summon the managements of all hospitals and hold a meeting on fire safety norms being adopted. District Collector K. Amrapali too echoed similar feelings stating that they would send special teams to inspect all the hospitals in the city.
A patient attendant Uma from Devannapet near Hasanparthy said her husband Raji Reddy suffered from paralysis and they brought him to Rohini Hospital on Monday afternoon. “We are in the ICU and heard a big sound. There were eight patients in the ward and we immediately closed the door. Soon the staff came and asked us to come out,” she said.
Mohd. Wahed of Subedari said he was passing by when he saw the commotion at the hospital. He said he heard people from second and third floors crying for help.
