Bhandara hospital fire: Panel to submit report on Thursday

The panel probing the death often newborns in a fire at the Bhandara district hospital inMaharashtra on January 9 is expected to submit its report tothe government on Thrusday, state Health Minister Rajesh Topesaid on Wednesday.

Ten newborn babies, admitted in the Special NewbornCare Unit of the hospital had died while seven others wererescued.

The report to be submitted by Nagpur divisionalcommissioner Sanjeev Kumaris expected to mention the likelycause of the fire and fix responsibility.

The Maharashtra government on January 9 announced theformation of a six-member team headed by the director of thehealth department to probe the incident.

The Nagpur divisional commissioner led theinvestigation.

An official had said that the probe team will alsoreview the fire safety measures and other technical factorsbesides giving suggestions to prevent recurrence of suchincidents in any hospital in the state.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had ordered safetyaudit of all hospitals in the state.

He had said that the probe will ascertain if the firewas an accident or was the fallout of ignoring an earliersafety report.

Former Maharashtra energy minister ChandrashekharBawankule of the BJP had claimed that relatives of thedeceased infants had brought fluctuations in power happeningsince last seven days at the affected ward to the notice ofauthorities in the hospital, but no action was taken.

He had also alleged a proposal to purchase fire safetyequipment worth over Rs 1 crore at the hospital had been sentto principal secretary, health, and Director of Health, stategovernment, in May this year but it is still pending forapproval.