Amravati Hospital Fire: Five Officials Suspended, Two Firms Face Blacklisting Over Lapses That Killed 3 Newborns

Amravati: The Maharashtra Public Health Department has directed strict action against officials and private firms found responsible for the August 24 fire at the hospital in Amravati, which claimed the lives of three newborns.

According to the inquiry report, serious lapses were detected in the maintenance and repair of ventilators and other equipment. The fire alarm and sprinkler systems were found to be non-functional, while the fire pump house was locked.

The committee also identified major deficiencies in technical inspections and equipment maintenance.

In response to the findings, the government has directed disciplinary proceedings under Rule 8 of the Maharashtra Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1979, against officials and employees found responsible for negligence, lack of supervision and dereliction of duty.

Alongside these proceedings, administrative action is ordered against contractual personnel, and action has been sought against responsible Public Works Department officials.

Earlier in August, District Civil Surgeon Dr Vinod Pawar had said that thirty-six newborns were shifted to a safe location after a major fire broke out at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Amravati District Women's Hospital, with authorities taking the step as a precaution over concerns that smoke from the fire could affect the babies' lungs.

Speaking to ANI about the incident, Dr Pawar said, "There is no information about the children being injured in the fire. However, considering the possibility that the smoke that spread during the fire could affect their lungs, we did not want to take any risk."

He said, "A total of 36 children have been shifted to a safe location. One child was sent back to the mother after observation, while the remaining children have been kept admitted and are being monitored. The hospital team is continuously following up on their health."

On questions over the fire audit, Pawar said, "The fire audit was due to expire on August 21. Before that, the hospital administration had sent a letter to the Electrical Department of the Public Works Department."

On the high-level inquiry ordered into the incident, he said, "This is a high-level inquiry committee. When the committee will begin the investigation and how much time it will take to submit the report will be decided by the committee. I cannot give any definite timeline in this regard. At present, the hospital team is regularly taking care of and following up on the newborns who have been shifted to other hospitals."

Earlier, Maharashtra Health Minister Prakash Abitkar termed the fire incident at the Amravati government hospital as "unfortunate" and announced that a high-level committee has been constituted to probe the matter, with a report expected within eight days.

Speaking on the tragic incident, Abitkar stated that site inspections were carried out by the Public Works Department (PWD) and other relevant officials.

"This is an unfortunate incident. Following the event, officials from the Public Works Department and others conducted a site visit. We have now constituted a committee chaired by the Health Commissioner; we expect to receive the committee's report within eight days and will take action based on its findings," the Health Minister said.

The Minister further informed that the probe team included experts to ensure a thorough investigation. "The committee will include the Health Commissioner and an official from AIIMS," he added.

A fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the District Women's Hospital in Amravati in the early hours of Monday.

According to officials, the fire broke out at around 3.15 am in the NICU on the third floor, with a ventilator reportedly sparking and triggering the blaze.

Officials said the NICU had several sections catering to newborns requiring different levels of care. The fire reportedly originated in the section housing outborn babies. Six infants were subsequently shifted to a super-speciality hospital, according to officials. 

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