Patient dies after fire in Bengaluru hospital, family alleges negligence

Bengaluru: A 34-year-old patient died hours after a fire erupted in the Critical Care Unit (CCU) of MS Ramaiah Memorial Hospital in northern Bengaluru on Thursday, police said.

The wife of the deceased patient, Panicker Sujay Sujathan, suggested that the fire broke out "due to the negligence of the hospital authorities". She has filed a police complaint and sought action against the hospital management.

Sadashivanagar police have opened an FIR under BNS Section 106 (causing death due to negligence).

Panicker Sujay Sujathan

The fire, suspected to have been caused by an electric short circuit, broke out in the first-floor CCU around 1.25 pm.

Hospital staff moved out the three patients who were inside the CCU and called the fire force. While two patients were stable, Sujay was declared dead later, around 4.30 pm.

Shekhar H Tekkannavar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), confirmed the fatality.

In her police complaint, Sujay's wife Rohini Jayan drew the cops' attention to the "grave incident that has caused me immense personal loss".

According to her, Sujay was admitted to the hospital on September 1 for the treatment of pneumonia, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and H1N1, and was recovering well. She added that she learnt about her husband's death around 4.30 pm.

She said the hospital did not take any action to hold those responsible for the incident accountable.

Sunoj VV, president of Bengaluru Malayali Club, said: "Sujay died around 2 pm but the hospital claimed it was a natural death and informed us officially only after 4 pm. It was negligence from the hospital side because they delayed moving the patient from the ward."

Sujay's brother Sujin said: "My brother was moved out of the ward around 1.50 pm. He was the last one to be moved out. He had recovered yesterday and doctors had said he would be okay today, but now they are saying it was natural death."

An officer from the Sadashivanagar police station said that the fire originated in an air-conditioner before spreading across the ceiling.

Two fire tenders dispatched to the scene doused the flames after a one-hour operation, a fire department official said.