Memories of Vivek Vihar tragedy resurface with Jhansi hospital fire

New Delhi: The fire tragedy at a state-run hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi district that claimed the lives of 10 newborns brought back the horrific memories of the Vivek Vihar incident where seven newborns were charred to death here on May 25 night.

As they struggle to cope with their trauma, parents of the deceased infants and those who survived say such incidents can stop only when the administration shows sensitivity and prioritises safety on the premises.

Seema, a housewife who has been grieving for her twins lost in the blaze at the neonatal hospital, said that official apathy led to the incident.

"I don't want to recall the incident in which I lost my two children. It was not the fault of just one person. It was the fault of the whole administration and there (Jhansi) also the same must have happened," Seema said, adding such incidents will keep happening till it is rectified.

On midnight of May 25 and 26, a fire tragedy at the private Baby Care New Born Hospital in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar area claimed the lives of seven newborns and left five babies injured. Four of them were discharged after treatment.

The police had registered an FIR and arrested the owner of the hospital, who is still behind bars. During investigations, it was found that the hospital was running illegally with an increased number of beds.

According to police investigations, there was absence of emergency exits. Also there were non-functional fire extinguishers and a lack of operational fire alarms and water sprinkler systems.

The police also found a large number of small and big oxygen cylinders on the premises pointing to 'illegal refilling'.

Madhuraj, whose child survived the fire, stated that watching the images of the Jhansi incident felt like reliving his own ordeal.

A painter by profession, he said urgent action should be taken against hospitals running illegally or without proper documentation.

"I was on my way to work when someone told me that Baby Care hospital caught fire. By the time I reached there, the hospital building was completely burnt." "My six-day son was among those who were admitted to the hospital. I was completely distraught as I was told that some of the children had died while some were shifted to a nearby hospital.

"I was shown the rescued children and one of them was mine," he said.

He said many hospitals could be running illegally or without following rules and the administration should take swift steps against them to ensure such tragedies do not recur.

Deepak Gautam, whose son also survived the blaze, said the day is etched in his mind forever.

"My three-day son was admitted to the hospital. We rushed to the hospital after hearing the news and found everything was burnt. For a few seconds, we thought we lost our son but soon we heard that a few newborns were shifted to a nearly private nursery.

"Seeing my son there brought me relief," he said.

"These incidents are not going to stop till our administration becomes sensitive. They need to repair and renew fire safety equipment from time to time," he said, adding hospital administration should ensure no illegal activity is taking place on premises.

At least 10 children died when a fire suspected to have been caused by a short circuit gutted the children's ward of the government-run Jhansi's medical college and hospital. Sixteen injured infants were undergoing treatment.