More than 30 patients injured in the ESIC Hospital fire remained in a serious condition on Tuesday. Of them, 10 patients were admitted to the intensive care unit of Seven Hills Hospital, and eight were admitted to Cooper Hospital’s surgical intensive care unit and medical intensive care unit. Fourteen patients, including five babies, were admitted to the Holy Spirit Hospital’s critical care units, and two were in the ICU of Hiranandani Hospital. At least eight of these were on ventilator support.
Paralysed waist down
Pramod Mourya (40) was at the ESIC Hospital to stay with his cousin Rajesh, who had undergone knee surgery. While Rajesh made it to safety with the help of the fire brigade, Mr. Mourya fell when the bedsheet through which he was coming down unravelled. He fractured his spine and was paralysed waist down. “We have operated on him, but so far he has no sensation. In some cases, the paraplegia is temporary. But only time will tell,” a doctor from Cooper Hospital said.
600 g baby on ventilator
A four-day-old baby girl weighing 600 gram is among the critical patients and is on ventilator support at Holy Spirit Hospital. Her twin brother, who weighs 1.5 kg, is stable and is in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Born on December 14 in ESIC Hospital, the pre-term twins were kept in the NICU on the third floor. Their mother, Lalita Logave (27), a resident of Jogeshwari, was admitted to the gynaecology ward on the second floor as she had delivered the babies through a caesarean section. “As the smoke spread within minutes, we were all brought down by the staff. About 15-20 minutes later, a doctor brought out our babies wrapped in a sheet,” Ms. Logave said. They were sent to Holy Spirit Hospital. Three other babies rescued from the fire are in the NICU at Holy Spirit and are stable.
Medical officer saves boy
Dr. Dinesh Kumar, a medical officer at ESIC Hospital, was on the third floor when the fire broke out. As the staff and doctors began helping people to escape, Dr. Kumar ran to the fourth floor where a two-year-old boy was admitted. “The boy was operated on in the morning and I had assisted the paediatric surgeon,” Dr. Kumar said. He lifted the boy and brought him to safety. Dr. Kumar, who suffered severe smoke inhalation, was admitted to Holy Spirit Hospital. “I am still trying to find out if the boy has been admitted anywhere,” he said.
Rescuer admitted
Amar Kamble (33), a local resident of Marol who saved lives of people at the hospital, was brought unconscious to Seven Hills Hospital after the incident. “As soon as my son got to know about the incident, he rushed to the hospital to rescue the patients. He had gone up to the fourth floor. After helping many, he could not breathe properly and fell unconscious. The doctors said they will discharge him soon,” a relative of Mr. Kamble said.
