Agra: Fire breaks out at SNMC, no casualty

Agra: Fire broke out in the basement of the new surgery building of the Sarojani Naidu Medical College (SNMC) in Agra on Tuesday, authorities here said.

There was no casualty and the fire was brought under control in time by the fire department, they said.

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"Some attendants threw a lit 'bidi' in the waste lying in the basement of the New Surgical block of the Sarojani Naidu Medical College at about 12.30 pm due to which a fire broke out in there," Prashant Gupta, Principal, Sarojani Naidu Medical College, said.

He said smoke entered the surgery building from the basement viaducts.

Patients were evacuated safely to the MCH wing and the Paediatric department, Gupta added.

Medical Dialogues team had recently reported about a massive fire that broke out at Bone and Joint (B&J) Hospital, Barzulla, after which the senior vice president of Peoples Conference( PC), Abdul GaniVakil urged the government to immediately take steps to make the hospitals fireproof.

He told "If left unattended, these incidents could prove catastrophic. Incidents like these not only warrant an official inquiry to know the cause of the fire but should also act as an eye-opener for the government to take immediate steps to make the hospital buildings fireproof."

In all hospital buildings without an internal fire safety mechanism, he said it was essential to install one. "Similarly, the age-old electric wiring in these hospitals needs to be replaced, besides measures should be taken immediately to rectify the loopholes," Vakil added. National Conference (NC) MPs Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Muhammad Akbar Lone, and HasnainMasoodi expressing their grief over the tragic incident stated "owing to the suitable and centrally located site of the hospital, the new facility should come up at the same site. Until the new facility comes up, a stop-gap arrangement should be put in place at the same site to cater to the out and inpatient rush."

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