Three infants died after a fire broke out at the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) ward of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Telangana’s Adilabad district late on Monday (September 21) night. The incident occurred around 11.40 p.m. As many as 25 other infants being treated in the ward were safely rescued and evacuated in time.

According to Adilabad District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) Sadhana, the fire was caused after an air-conditioner in the reception area of the SNCU burst into flames.

“The SNCU has two flanks, one with 11 beds, and another with 13 beds, while the Kangaroo Mother Care area located opposite the SNCU has four beds. The sections are enclosed and have glass windows. When the fire broke out, smoke accumulated inside the unit. As soon as the fire was noticed, the attendants of patients broke the glass windows and evacuated the babies from the affected areas,” the DMHO said.

The rescued infants were subsequently shifted to nearby private hospitals for further treatment. The two infants who died, aged five and four days respectively, were preterm babies. One of them died immediately after the incident, while the other succumbed four hours later. The third infant, a two-day-old girl who was born prematurely at 28 weeks and weighed 1.1 kg, was in a critical condition and died while being shifted to a nearby hospital, confirmed Director of Medical Education (DME) N. Vani.

Upon receiving information about the fire, a fire tender was rushed to the hospital and the blaze was brought under control. The exact cause of the fire was is yet to be ascertained. The police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the incident.

Adilabad Superintendent of Police (SP) Akhil Mahajan said the incident occurred at around 11.40 p.m., and police teams reached the hospital within three minutes, by 11.43 p.m. “Although Ganesh immersion processions were under way and a large number of police personnel were deployed, our teams were able to reach the spot within three minutes and assist in evacuating the children,” he said.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy expressed grief over the incident and conveyed his condolences to the families of the infants. He stated that the death of infants was extremely tragic. The Chief Minister directed officials to ensure better medical treatment for the children undergoing treatment at the hospital and to continuously monitor their health condition.

Mr. Reddy ordered an inquiry into the incident and directed officials to submit a report on the causes of the fire. He further instructed authorities to strengthen fire and other safety measures in hospitals across the State to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha, who inspected the fire incident site, expressed grief over the deaths and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families.

The Minister also reviewed the rescue and relief measures undertaken following the incident and the arrangements made to safely shift the infants undergoing treatment in the SNCU to other wards. He also sought updates from doctors on the condition of the infants and other children receiving treatment and directed them to provide the best possible medical care while closely monitoring their health. The Minister later met the families of the affected children and assured them of the government’s support.

“The condition of other children who were in the ward at the time of the incident was stable and none have developed any complications,” said a note from the Minister’s office.

He was accompanied by Adilabad MLA Payal Shanker and Principal Secretary, Health, Medical and Family Welfare, Dr. Christina Z. Chongthu.

A preliminary inquiry indicated that an electrical short circuit in an air-conditioning unit may have triggered the fire, causing plastic components to burn and filling the SNCU with thick smoke, the Minister said. A detailed enquiry by an expert committee would ascertain the exact cause and identify any lapses in safety standards, he added.

The Minister said RIMS staff, district officials, Fire and Police personnel acted swiftly to disconnect the power supply, evacuate the infants and provide emergency medical care.

He said a 150-bed Mother and Child Health (M&CH) Building would be established at RIMS, taking its bed strength from 800 to 950. Plans were also under way to develop the institute into a super-speciality hospital, besides setting up Hematology and Emergency Trauma Care wings.

The Minister said steps were being taken to increase postgraduate medical seats in Paediatrics, Gynaecology, Radiology and other departments and strengthen the out-patient and in-patient services at RIMS.