– Akhilesh Tripathi/Lucknow
A severe fire broke out at Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi on November 15, leading to the tragic death of 10 newborns. The incident highlights the negligence of the medical college administration. However, the Uttar Pradesh government has not yet taken any action against the culprits in this matter.
The incident began at around 5 PM in the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) due to a short circuit, but the negligence of the staff led to it being ignored. As a result, the short circuit occurred again at around 10 PM, this time igniting a fire that spread rapidly. The situation turned chaotic, and the fire led to the tragic deaths of 10 infants.
Reports suggest that when the first short circuit occurred at 5 PM, it was brought to the notice of the on-duty nursing staff and security personnel, but no action was taken. Consequently, the fire became uncontrollable, leaving no time for a proper response.
A nurse on duty was caught in the flames and sustained burns while raising an alarm. She shouted for help, urging others to save and evacuate the babies. Her cries prompted efforts to rescue the infants. At the time, there were 47 newborns admitted to the ward. Despite the efforts to save them, 10 infants perished, succumbing to burns and suffocation.
Parents of the newborns were pleading for their children’s safety, and the scene turned heart-wrenching with their cries of despair. Firefighting teams and military personnel rushed to the college. The fire was eventually brought under control, but by then, 10 precious lives had already been lost.
As soon as the state government received the information, it dispatched Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister, Brajesh Pathak, to the site. Pathak arrived at the medical college at 5 a.m. on Saturday morning.
Earlier, on Friday night, the college administration got the emergency area front whitewashed, making efforts to improve its appearance in anticipation of the Deputy CM’s visit. However, someone recorded a video of this activity and circulated it online. This led to widespread criticism of both the medical college and the state government. Reaching the medical college, Pathak expressed his displeasure over the incident and directed the District Magistrate to take strict action against those responsible for the whitewashing.
The Deputy CM instructed the DIG and the Divisional Commissioner to investigate the matter. Additionally, he requested an investigation by the fire department. The UP government also formed a four-member committee, chaired by Director General of Medical Education and Training, Kinjal Singh, to investigate the incident, and asked to submit its report within seven days.
It has been revealed that the college administration is not at all concerned about fire safety measures. After the fire broke out, no alarm sounded. Additionally, the fire suppression equipment also failed to function.
Except for one device, the fire extinguishers installed here had reportedly expired on July 24, 2020, and September 28, 2023. Due to this, the fire extinguishers in the medical college were unable to function. Why were the expired fire extinguishers left unattended for so long by the administration? What steps did the administration take to replace them? Was the state government unable to allocate a budget for this? Who is responsible for this – the medical college or the state government? These are questions only the medical college and the state government can answer. However, they are unlikely to respond, as doing so would expose their shortcomings.
When Pathak visited the medical college, he himself held the administration responsible for the lack of safety measures. He stated: “In February 2024, a fire safety audit was conducted, and a mock drill took place in June. The medical college administration has been negligent regarding safety measures.”
Grand claims are made about monitoring healthcare services in hospitals, and the state government touts the availability of excellent healthcare facilities. However, an incident at the Jhansi medical college has exposed the reality of these claims.
Orders were issued to conduct a mock drill of healthcare services in UP from November 12 to 14. The report of this drill was supposed to be submitted to both the state and central governments. On October 24, Additional Secretary of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, L.S. Changsan, issued an alert and instructed that facilities, including fire services, be kept in proper working condition. Acting on these instructions, Partha Sarathi Sen Sharma, Principal Secretary of Health and Medical Education Department, directed all divisional commissioners, district magistrates, additional directors of the health department, and chief medical officers on November 8 to conduct a mock drill focusing on oxygen plants, fire services, and other critical areas. Training for this drill was provided on November 9.
The supervision of these mock drills in medical colleges was assigned to WHO representatives with instruction to submit the report of the drill to the state and central governments by November 14. The report has reportedly been submitted. However, following this, a tragic incident occurred at the Jhansi Medical College, resulting in the deaths of infants. The mock drill report may further reveal deficiencies in the College, provided the drill was conducted with integrity.
It has also come to light that CCTV cameras in Jhansi Medical College were not operational. Additionally, 5-6 children were reportedly admitted to a single bed. Why was this done? A new SNCU was supposed to be inaugurated here, but why wasn’t it opened on Children’s Day? Why did the security personnel fail to respond during the fire incident? These are some of the questions that put the administration and principal of Jhansi Medical College in the dock.
N.S. Sengar has been serving as acting principal of Jhansi Medical College for the past four years. There is no regular principal here, which has led to a lack of accountability, as the administration doesn’t follow his directives. Consequently, mismanagement prevails. More than a dozen medical colleges in the state lack regular principals, operating instead under acting principals. This situation is enough to expose the shortcomings of healthcare services in Uttar Pradesh.
Among the deceased in Jhansi Medical College incident were twin daughters of Najma, a resident of Sikandarpura locality in Rath town, Hamirpur district. Najma, devastated by the loss, has fallen into a state of severe shock. Her daughters succumbed to burns and suffocation caused by the fire before Najma could even properly see their faces. This incident has left Najma deeply distraught, and she has been speaking incoherently when conscious. Her husband, Yaqub, is extremely worried about her condition.
Similarly, Kripal Singh, a resident of Jakhaura in Lalitpur, and a teenage girl from Markuan are also grieving the loss of their relatives and are deeply disturbed by the tragedy. They allege that if the short circuit reported at 5 PM had been addressed promptly, the second short circuit – and the ensuing fire – might have been averted. They blame the negligence of the medical college administration for this disaster and demand that the college principal be dismissed from service.
The grief and outrage of these families are echoed by other bereaved parents. However, the authorities appear to be conducting a superficial investigation. Efforts are reportedly underway to protect the principal, N.S. Sengar, despite the gravity of the incident.
Sources reveal that the DIG and Divisional Commissioner of Jhansi have submitted their investigation report to the state government, citing an electrical accident, specifically a short circuit in a switchboard, as the cause of the fire. This explanation is being viewed as a way to absolve the principal of accountability. So, the UP government is accused of covering up its own shortcomings and attempting to downplay the incident. The deaths of 10 infants appear to hold little significance for the government, which is being criticised for its apathy and insensitivity.
Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav has held the college principal responsible for the incident and demanded strict action against him. He stated, “This is a direct result of medical mismanagement, government negligence, and the use of poor-quality oxygen concentrators. All those responsible must face punitive action. Government hospitals have become hubs of neglect, corruption, and mismanagement.”
Congress state president Ajay Rai also demanded that the government provide adequate compensation to the victims and take strict action against the college principal.
