Adilabad RIMS fire: 5 dead, govt announces Rs 5L each ex gratia

Hyderabad: The Telangana government on Wednesday, September 23, announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased even as the death toll in the Adilabad Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) fire rose to five.

Three babies died after the fire broke out late on Monday in the air-conditioning unit of the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU), apparently due to a short circuit. “Two more infants succumbed on Wednesday, taking the death toll to five,” a senior police official said.

Twenty-seven infants undergoing treatment in the unit were shifted to different private hospitals. Doctors, hospital staff, fire and police personnel and others present in the hospital participated in the rescue of children and other relief efforts.

Four others were taken home by their parents after their condition became stable, officials said.

Multiple audits & new building, promises minister

State Health Minister C. Damodar Rajanarasimha announced the ex gratia. After enquiring about the babies’ health condition with officials, the minister told them to shift the children to major hospitals in Hyderabad for advanced medical care if necessary, an official release said.

He also ordered an electrical safety audit, a fire safety audit and a civil structural safety audit.

“Based on the expert committee’s report and the safety audits, we will formulate comprehensive proposals for the government covering necessary repairs, additional infrastructure, renovation works, construction of new buildings, and the recruitment of additional staff,” he said.

Rajanarasimha said it was decided to establish a 150-bed Mother and Child Health (MCH) building to further strengthen maternal and child care services at RIMS.

TGHRC seeks detailed report into incident

Taking cognisance of media reports on the fire incident, Telangana Human Rights Commission (TGHRC) chairperson Shameem Akther has called for a detailed report from the Principal Secretary for Health, Medical and Family Welfare in Telangana.

This report should cover the circumstances leading to the fire, the safety and maintenance arrangements in the SNCU, the measures taken for rescue and treatment of the affected infants, and the findings of any inquiry conducted into the incident.

The Commission considered it necessary to ascertain the facts and circumstances leading to the incident and the infants’ deaths, an official release said. The matter has been posted to October 27.