Amravati fire: Oppn alleges negligence, targets govt over unimplemented safety measures

The death of three newborns in a hospital fire in Amravati on Monday (August 24) sparked a political row in Maharashtra, with the Opposition targeting the state government over unimplemented safety measures and alleged negligence.

The fire broke out in the early hours of Monday at the District Women's Hospital in Amravati. The hospital staff managed to rescue 36 infants from the facility, while three newborns lost their lives in the incident. The Opposition leaders claimed the deaths were caused by a ventilator explosion.

Minister defends hospital staff’s response

Defending the hospital administration's response, Maharashtra Public Health Minister Prakashrao Abitkar expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, asserting that medical personnel left no stone unturned to save the infants.

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"Regarding the unfortunate incident that occurred at a hospital in Amravati in which three of our children tragically lost their lives, it is deeply unfortunate and sorrowful. Our staff provided ventilator support and made every possible effort to save them, but unfortunately, they did not succeed," Abitkar told reporters.

‘2021 panel’s recommendations gathering dust’: Anil Deshmukh

Targeting the government over the incident, Opposition NCP (SP) leader and former state home minister Anil Deshmukh claimed that recommendations of a panel set up after the 2021 Bhandara hospital fire, in which 10 infants died, had not been implemented. He also demanded immediate fire and electrical audits of hospitals across the state.

Congress leader and former minister Yashomati Thakur, who visited the hospital after the incident, questioned the claim that the fire was caused by a ventilator blast. She said a similar incident had occurred at the hospital earlier and questioned the safety of the equipment and electrical connections. She also sought details about the supplier of ventilators and demanded accountability for the incident.

The government had failed to pay adequate attention to healthcare infrastructure and safety, she alleged, and also raised concerns over the availability of doctors and other facilities at the hospital.

Also Read: 3 newborns die as fire breaks out in hospital NICU in Amaravati; CM orders probe

Ruling BJP ally and Amravati MLA Ravi Rana also said a similar fire had occurred at the hospital about three years ago, and asked how such a tragedy could recur even after the facility was shifted to a new building. Rana alleged negligence on the part of doctors, staff, and the system, and said an inquiry was necessary to establish accountability. He said those entrusted with responsibility for the hospital's functioning should be held accountable.

Deshmukh said after the Bhandara hospital fire in 2021, the state government appointed a committee to examine the incident.

"But the committee's recommendations are gathering dust in government departments. Had the state implemented those recommendations, the Amravati incident would not have happened," he claimed.

The NCP (SP) leader demanded that the government expedite implementation of the committee's recommendations.

Govt should fix responsibility: Congress

Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal described the deaths as "heartbreaking and infuriating" and said the loss of newborns who had been admitted to the hospital to be saved raised serious questions about the safety of the health system.

Sapkal demanded a high-level and impartial inquiry and sought immediate fire and medical-equipment safety audits of all government and private hospitals in Maharashtra.

Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar said the deaths raised serious questions about the safety of the government healthcare system. He said preliminary information suggested that the fire broke out after a ventilator exploded.

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Wadettiwar demanded that the government fix responsibility instead of merely conducting an inquiry after the deaths. He also called for immediate fire-safety and medical-equipment audits of all government hospitals in Maharashtra.

State minister Chandrakant Patil, in a post on X, said, "To prevent such accidents in the future, a detailed review of fire-safety arrangements in all hospitals in the state will be undertaken and necessary measures will be implemented." He said 36 children had been safely evacuated from the hospital, calling it a matter of relief.

Ruling Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde described the incident as tragic and said the injured children were being treated at a safe location. He expressed hope that their condition would improve and that all the children would recover.

CM Fadnavis expresses grief, orders high-level inquiry

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday expressed grief over the death of three infants in the fire, and ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident. He assured that the strictest action would be taken against those found responsible for the tragedy.

The state government will provide Rs 5 lakh in financial assistance to the family of each deceased child, Fadnavis said in a statement.

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A ventilator in the government hospital's NICU, which houses premature and critically-ill babies, caught fire at around 3.15 am, claiming the lives of three children, officials said.

Fadnavis said the incident was "extremely tragic and heartbreaking" and expressed solidarity with the families of the deceased. Fortunately, 36 children were rescued safely from the hospital during the incident, he noted.

He directed the state health minister and health secretary to visit Amravati on Monday to take stock of the situation. Fadnavis also directed the Amravati district administration to ensure that the injured children receive treatment at government expense.

Night of horror

When parents and families of infants were fast asleep outside a government hospital in Maharashtra's Amravati, waiting for the children's recovery, they never imagined the night would turn into horror.

A huge fire ripped through the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the District Women's Hospital, leaving some newborns covered in black ashes, as panic spread through the wards, eyewitnesses told PTI Videos.

Security guards and nurses rushed in to rescue children from the smoke‑filled care units, some parents recalled, even as they blamed the hospital administration for the incident.

Relatives of some children admitted to the hospital also claimed that the ward’s water spray system failed to function and said it should have been activated immediately when the fire broke out.

Also Read: Odisha hospital fire death toll rises to 12 after ICU blaze

Yogesh Savarkar, a resident of Achalpur in Amravati, said his wife and eight‑day‑old child were admitted to the hospital, while he was sleeping outside the building when the fire broke out. Savarkar said his child was on the first floor of the hospital. As flames spread through one of the wards, he rushed upstairs, rescued his baby, and carried him down to safety.

The situation was extremely difficult, with fire spreading above the children admitted in the ward, he and relatives of some other children recalled.

Security guards were the first to reach the spot and began rescuing the children, he claimed, adding that he also saw a nurse helping save lives.

Relatives of the children squarely blamed the administration for the tragedy. The families said they did not know the exact cause of the blaze, but described seeing a huge fire raging through the ward as panic spread among parents and staff.

(With agency inputs)