Jaipur SMS Hospital Fire: Removed doctor claims safety warnings were ignored
Fire Safety
Jaipur: In a shocking revelation following the devastating fire at Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital Trauma Centre, which claimed eight lives and left five others critically injured, the recently removed Trauma Centre In-Charge, Dr Anurag Dhakad, has alleged that he had warned higher authorities about poor maintenance and construction work that had made the centre unsafe. However, no concrete action was taken to address the alarming situation.
Dr Dhakad revealed that he had written multiple letters to the SMS Hospital Superintendent and other concerned authorities, cautioning them about dangerous conditions such as electric current in walls, leaking roofs, and serious faults in electrical panels that had made the trauma centre unsafe.
In his most recent letter, dated October 3, just two days before the incident, he specifically warned about potential damage to the duct and electrical panel caused by ongoing construction work in the neuro operation theatre.
Also read- Jaipur SMS Hospital Fire: Superintendent, Trauma Centre In-Charge removed
"The ongoing construction work of the neuro operation theatre on the upper floor has damaged the VRV system, duct and electrical panel. There is a strong possibility of these being further damaged by falling debris. If any of this machinery is damaged, full responsibility will lie with the concerned department," the letter mentioned.
A month earlier, on September 9, Dr Dhakad had again raised concerns that rainwater seepage from the construction area above was creating dangerous conditions inside the operating theatres.
"Due to leakage, dampness has developed, and because of this, current is spreading through the OT walls and switchboards. This poses a risk of mishap to doctors, employees and patients," he said in the letter. Despite these repeated warnings, no corrective action was taken, he claimed.
"I had written multiple letters to the higher authorities regarding various serious issues pertaining to maintenance and potential dangers," he told PTI. He said that it was for the higher authorities and departments concerned to take action on the issues raised in the letters, but no concrete action was taken.
Medical Dialogues had previously reported that eight patients were killed and five remain critical after a massive fire broke out late Sunday night in the ICU of the Trauma Centre at Sawai Mansingh (SMS) Hospital in Jaipur. In response, the Rajasthan government has ordered a probe into the incident, while relatives of the deceased patients have alleged negligence and a lack of firefighting equipment.
Taking action in the matter, the state government removed Dr Sushil Bhati, Superintendent of SMS Hospital, and Dr Anurag Dhakad, Trauma Centre In-charge and Nodal Officer, from their posts on Monday and replaced them with Dr Mrinal Joshi and Dr B.L. Yadav, respectively. The hospital's executive engineer, Mukesh Singhal, was also suspended. The tender of the fire safety firm has been cancelled, and legal proceedings have been initiated against the company.
A senior official said an inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the fire and to examine whether prior warnings about electrical and safety hazards were ignored.
The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of the victims. The family members and attendants of the patients on Monday alleged that the hospital staff ran away when the fire broke out, leaving the patients in the middle of the fire and smoke. Some of them claimed that they had alerted the staff about suspicions of fire, but they ignored it.
Moments later, the fire broke out in the store room of the ICU. Anguished relatives also held a brief protest and alleged that authorities were negligent, ignoring warnings and fleeing instead of rescuing the ailing and sick.
Among them was Rukmini's son Joginder. "My mother was recovering and was supposed to be fine. But this disaster happened. When the smoke started, there were 15 to 16 people in the ward. People were trying to evacuate their own patients," he said on Monday.
"No one helped my mother. My elder brother grabbed a torch from the hospital staff, found our mother, and brought her out. No one went to help her. I could not save her and could not do anything," he told reporters.
Omprakash, whose brother Pintu was killed, said the fire spread rapidly. "My brother was still inside. It took an hour and a half before they managed to pull Pintu out of the room. His body was not burned, but his face was completely blackened from the smoke. When we took him outside, there were no doctors present," he alleged.
However, officials maintained hospital staff and attendants evacuated patients and wheeled them outside the trauma centre, which is in front of the main hospital building on busy Tonk Road.
Vikas, a ward boy who was at the scene, told PTI that he and other staff members rescued as many people as they could before the billowing flames and smoke made it impossible for them to do so.
The fire was eventually brought under control only after about two hours. CM Bhajanlal Sharma visited the hospital at night and held discussions with the officers. He instructed them to make all possible arrangements for the safety and proper treatment of the patients.
Later, several ministers as well as opposition party leaders visited the hospital. PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were among the other leaders who expressed deep condolences.
