Listen to this article:

Hyderabad: The death of five newborn babies in a fire that broke out inside the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), in Adilabad town, Telangana, has brought into sharp focus the state’s woefully inadequate government healthcare system. The fire broke out on Monday (September 21) around 11.40 pm in the government-run medical institute.

The fire was reportedly sparked by an air-conditioner at the Special Neonatal Care Unit (SNCU) of the hospital, which burst into flames and engulfed the ward in thick smoke. A female infant, born three days earlier, is said to have died instantly. There were at least 24 babies on incubators in the ward and 27 attendants were asleep nearby or chatting outside it.

A thundering noise from the air conditioner suddenly jolted them and the nursing staff. It was pell-mell for the next 15 minutes as everyone ran amuck with zero visibility inside the ward. The parents present blindly picked up their children from the allotted cots, said Saleem Khan of Ichoda, whose daughter was the first casualty.

Adilabad District Medical and Health Officer Sadhana confirmed the cause of the fire was an air-conditioner in the SNCU reception area but did not respond to other queries sent by The Wire.

The Hindu reports that the SNCU has “two flanks”, of 11 and 13 beds each. A mother care area opposite the SNCU has four beds. The sections are enclosed and have glass windows. When the fire broke out, smoke accumulated inside the unit. Attendants at the hospital broke the windows to evacuate babies, Sadhana told the publication.

Apart from Saleem Khan and his wife Saba Khanam’s newborn daughter,........

© The Wire