Chhindwara district hospital NICU fire leaves three newborns with severe burns; infants rushed to Jabalpur
Chhindwara, Aug 22 (IANS) A major accident struck the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Chhindwara District Hospital in Madhya Pradesh in the wee hours of Saturday when a radiant warmer machine caught fire, leaving three newborns with serious burn injuries.
The incident occurred around 2 a.m. in the wee hours of Saturday. According to hospital officials, the three infants were placed inside the warmer to maintain normal body temperature and receive intensive care after birth.
Suddenly, a filament in the heating unit of the warmer sparked, triggering a fire. The presence of oxygen in the NICU caused the blaze to spread rapidly inside the enclosed unit, engulfing the newborns.
Paediatrician of the Hospital Dr Anshul Lamba, confirmed that the sparking in the warmer’s heating filament led to the fire.
“Newborns are kept in warmers after birth to keep their body temperature stable. At night, the filament sparked suddenly and the fire broke out. All three babies suffered severe burns,” he said.
Panic gripped the hospital as the fire erupted. Doctors and staff on duty acted swiftly. They pulled the infants out of the burning warmer, used fire extinguishers to control the flames, and immediately started first-aid treatment.
Despite prompt medical intervention, the condition of the three newborns remained critical due to the extent of their burns.
Given the seriousness of the injuries and the unavailability of a paediatric surgeon at the Chhindwara facility, all three infants were referred to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College in Jabalpur for advanced treatment.
They were transported under the supervision of two doctors. One of the newborns is reported to be in a particularly critical state and may require surgical intervention.
Hospital authorities have initiated an internal enquiry into the incident. Preliminary reports point to a technical fault or short circuit in the warmer machine as the likely cause.
Officials are examining the equipment and safety protocols in the NICU to prevent any such recurrence. The accident has raised serious questions about the maintenance of critical medical equipment in government hospitals and the safety of newborns in intensive care units.
–IANS
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