Three infants dead, safety audit ordered at RIMS
A fire tore through the newborn care unit in Adilabad on September 21. The cause and responsibility remain under inquiry.
An inquiry and safety audit have been ordered after the fire at RIMS Adilabad’s newborn-care unit.
Three infants died after a fire broke out in the Special Newborn Care Unit at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Adilabad, late on September 21, according to reports published on September 22. The ward held newborns in incubators; reports differ on whether there were 24, 28 or around 30 infants.
Other infants were evacuated and shifted to hospitals in Adilabad and Nizamabad. Adilabad Collector Rajarshi Shah said several developed breathing difficulties after smoke inhalation, according to Indian Express. The exact medical cause of each death has not been published in the material reviewed.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy ordered an inquiry, directed officials to monitor the affected infants and called for safety and fire-prevention audits in government hospitals. Police and fire authorities are examining a possible AC malfunction, electrical short circuit or another technical failure. The cause has not been established.
BRS leaders alleged hospital negligence and questioned equipment maintenance. The allegations have not been confirmed by an investigation, and RIMS or the Health Department has not issued a formal response in the reports reviewed. The government has ordered an inquiry; the safety record that should have made this unnecessary is still missing.