Amravati hospital fire: 3 newborns die, NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule flags ‘glaring negligence’

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) working president and MP Supriya Sule on Aug 24 said the death of three newborns in a hospital in Maharashtra's Amravati district was an extremely heart-wrenching incident and a glaring example of negligence in the system.

Supriya Sule took to social media 'X' and said, "In Amravati district's women's hospital, an explosion in a ventilator in the NICU department caused a fire, in which 3 newborns lost their lives, while a few others are in serious condition. This is an extremely heart-wrenching incident. Mothers and fathers eagerly await their baby, but to lose that child in such a manner, what ordeal must have befallen them is unimaginable."

Sule said that this is not merely an accident but a glaring example of negligence in the system.

"This is not merely an accident but a glaring example of negligence in the system. A thorough investigation of the entire matter must be conducted, and the strictest possible action must be taken against those responsible. Along with this, there is a need to conduct fire audits of all government and private hospitals in Maharashtra, as well as safety audits of medical equipment," she said.

She further expressed her condolences to the families who lost their children.

"I express my condolences to the families who have lost their children in this incident. Heartfelt tribute to the departed. May the injured newborns recover soon and return to their mother's lap - this is my prayer at the feet of God," she said in the post.

Three infants suffocated to death due to heavy smoke, while six others are currently undergoing treatment at a local Super Speciality Hospital.

Police sources said that the incident occurred at around 3:30 a.m. on the third floor of the hospital’s recently constructed building.

According to preliminary reports, an explosion in a ventilator sparked the blaze, which quickly engulfed the unit. The ventilator explosion led to the rapid spread of fire and smoke inside the ward. The exact cause of the blaze remains unknown, and authorities are investigating the site to determine what triggered the fire.

Duty doctors, nurses, and hospital staff managed to rescue several infants from the unit as soon as the fire was detected. The third floor houses three NICU wards with a combined capacity of 39 beds (13 in each). The unit where the fire broke out reportedly had 9 to 12 high-risk, premature infants under critical care at the time.

The tragic event has sparked intense outrage and raised severe questions regarding the emergency preparedness of the medical facility.

Despite the building being newly constructed -- inaugurated just a year ago by the late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar -- the automated fire suppression system reportedly failed to activate. Authorities are investigating whether the ventilator that exploded was outdated, poorly maintained, or suffered from a critical technical failure.

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