8 patients died in a fire at the Trauma Center of SMS Hospital in Jaipur. The Rajasthan government has formed an inquiry committee and has begun reviewing the causes of the accident and the fire safety arrangements.
Jaipur: A fire that broke out on Sunday night at the Trauma Center of Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital has caused a stir in the medical community. Eight patients admitted to the Neuro ICU lost their lives in this incident. Considering the gravity of the event, the state government has formed a six-member high-level inquiry committee, which will review the cause of the fire, the hospital's security arrangements, and its fire safety system.
8 Patients Die in Trauma Center Fire
The incident occurred late Sunday night in the Neuro ICU of the Trauma Center. Immediately after the fire broke out, patients and their relatives panicked. Hospital staff initially attempted to extinguish the fire, but the situation quickly went out of control. Videos and photos of the incident rapidly went viral on social media, increasing public concern and anger.
The fire brigade and the hospital's emergency team arrived at the scene. Preliminary information suggests the fire was caused by a short circuit. Fortunately, the quick action of the fire services prevented the fire from spreading to other wards. However, eight patients admitted to the ICU succumbed.
Inquiry Committee Begins Investigation into Incident
Considering the seriousness of the incident, the Rajasthan government constituted a six-member inquiry committee. The committee will be chaired by Avikal Khanna, Commissioner of the Medical Education Department. Its members include senior officials from the hospital administration, engineers from the electricity department, the principal of SMS Medical College, and the Chief Fire Officer of the Municipal Corporation.
The inquiry committee's task will be to ascertain the causes of the incident, review the status of fire safety protocols, and suggest measures to prevent such incidents in the future. The committee will soon conduct a site inspection and submit a detailed report to the state government.
Leaders and Relatives Express Anger Over Incident
Immediately after the incident, former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and Minister of State for Home Affairs Jawahar Singh arrived at the hospital. Relatives accused officials of serious negligence. They stated that the hospital administration had been informed about the fire approximately 20 minutes earlier, but no swift action was taken.
Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also expressed deep sorrow over the incident. He tweeted, praying for minimal loss of life in such occurrences and urged the state government to ensure measures are taken through a high-level inquiry to prevent recurrence in the future.
