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NEW DELHI: Six patients died and five remain critical after a fire broke out at the trauma ICU of Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital late on Sunday night.Police said the exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined, though a short circuit is suspected. “At first glance, it appears to be a short circuit, but the final cause will only be determined after the FSL investigation,” Jaipur Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph said.SMS Hospital Trauma Centre In-charge Anurag Dhakad told ANI that the fire started in the trauma ICU on the second floor and spread quickly, releasing toxic gases. “Our trauma centre has two ICUs on the second floor: a trauma ICU and a semi-ICU. We had 24 patients there; 11 in the trauma ICU and 13 in the semi-ICU. A short circuit occurred in the trauma ICU, and the fire spread rapidly, releasing toxic gases,” he said.
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Dhakad added that most of the patients in the ICU were comatose. “Our trauma centre team, our nursing officers, and ward boys, immediately rescued them on trolleys and brought as many patients as we could out of the ICU and shifted them to another location. Six of those patients were very critical; we tried very hard to revive them with CPR, but they couldn’t be saved,” he said.According to Dhakad, two of the deceased were women and four were men. Five patients are still critical. “There were 24 that we evacuated: 11 in the trauma ICU and 13 in the adjacent ICU,” he said.Also read – Doctors, compounders fled as smoke spread, say kin; CM reviews situation at SMS trauma centreAuthorities are investigating the cause of the short circuit and assessing damage to the facility. Rescue operations were completed shortly after the blaze was brought under control.
Relatives allege negligence
Meanwhile, relatives of the patients recounted distressing scenes as smoke engulfed the ward, alleging lapses in safety measures and delayed response from hospital staff.Puran Singh, a relative of a patient, said, as quoted by news agency ANI, “When there was a spark, there was a cylinder beside it. The smoke spread throughout the ICU, causing everyone to flee in panic. Some managed to rescue their own patients, but mine was left alone in the room. As the gas spread further, they shut the gates.”Narendra Singh, another relative, was quoted by ANI as saying, “There was a fire in the ICU, and I didn’t even know. I had come downstairs to have dinner at the time. There wasn’t even any equipment to douse the fire — no facilities were available. My mother was admitted there.”Om Prakash, whose 25-year-old maternal aunt’s son was admitted, recounted, “Smoke started spreading around 11:20pm, and I warned the doctors that it could cause discomfort to patients. By the time the smoke intensified, the doctors and compounders had already fled. Only 4 to 5 patients were evacuated. Tragically, my maternal aunt’s son lost his life due to the incident. He was about to recover and was scheduled to be discharged in two-three days.“Jogendra Singh alleged negligence by hospital staff. “My mother was admitted to the ICU. When the spark occurred, I alerted the doctors four to five times that it was coming from there, but they dismissed it as normal. Suddenly, smoke engulfed the area, and all the staff ran out, leaving no one to help or save my mother. I was outside when I asked the police, and they said everyone had been evacuated. However, my mother and brother were still trapped inside the hospital. Somehow, I managed to rescue my brother, but he is now in critical condition,” he said.Ranjit Singh Rathore, whose brother was admitted, said he received a call at 11:30pm. “I had just arrived this evening. I rushed to the hospital, but initially, they wouldn’t let me inside. After some time, I managed to enter. When I went in, I found my brother dead,” he was quoted as saying by the news agency ANI.
