Three infants died while 36 others were rescued in the early hours of Monday after a ventilator explosion triggered a fire in the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of the District Women’s Hospital in Amravati , Maharashtra, prompting the state government to order a high-level probe and enforce strict fire safety audits across healthcare facilities statewide.
He also directed the Amravati district collector to ensure that all injured and rescued infants receive medical treatment at state expense.
Maharashtra chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis termed the incident “extremely tragic and heart-wrenching”, announcing ₹ 5 lakh in ex gratia for the family of each deceased infant. The blaze erupted after a ventilator in the nine-bed out-born section suddenly exploded, according to Amravati Civil Surgeon Dr Vinod Pawar and police commissioner Rakesh Ola. Fire brigade officials, however, said an electrical short circuit might have caused the fire.
Then there was an uproar, and the fire brigade came. I kept looking for my baby and wife, but couldn’t find him.” “Around 3.30 am, I was standing at the hospital gate with a friend when I heard a woman shouting…
Swapnil Barge said he received the news of the death of his son hours after he informed his family about the birth.
State health minister Prakash Abitkar visited the hospital and announced a seven-member expert committee headed by Public health commissioner Sanjay Katkar. The fire broke out around 3.30am on the third floor of the newly constructed hospital building, which houses three SNCUs with a combined capacity of 39 infants, according to officials. The panel will submit its report within eight days. He added that Schiller Company (Nagpur), which supplied the ventilator, would be blacklisted, if equipment malfunction was established. A high-level meeting will also review fire safety compliance across state government hospitals.
