Delhi hospital fire: Families struggle to come to terms with loss of loved ones

Tragic fire at a Delhi hospital claims lives of newborns, leaving families shattered. Six families lose babies, with heartbreaking stories of loss and grief.

“We were supposed to take my niece home on Sunday,” said Arun Kumar, whose brother Raj Kumar and sister-in-law Uma Devi lost their 17-day-old daughter.

Vinod Sharma (in white) mourns the death of his newborn outside the mortuary of GTB Hospital on Sunday. Sharma and his wife, Jyoti Devi, had lost two babies earlier. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Uma collapsed as soon as she got the news that the facility where their newborn was admitted was engulfed in a fire the previous night.

Their was one of six families who were celebrating the birth of their babies and making plans to welcome their newest members home, but had their joy brutally cut short when they found out that a fire had ripped through the Baby Care New Born Hospital.

The families rushed to the facility at Vivek Vihar to find a hospital gutted. Guided by residents and police officers, the families were directed to the East Delhi Advanced NICU Hospital, where the injured infants were undergoing treatment.

Their faint hopes shattered when they could not find their babies there either.

They then reached the mortuary at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, where the dead infants were being put through autopsies. Gathering under the shed next to the complex where the post-mortem examinations were being conducted, they frantically asked police officers if their newborns were among the dead. The officers took the fathers to identify the deceased infants. They left the mortuary inconsolable.

“Neither the hospital nor police informed us about the incident. We only got to know about it after watching the news unfold on TV,” said Robin, a resident of Bulandshahr and whose brother lost his son in the fire.

Around 11.30pm on Saturday night, the fire broke out at neo-natal care centre, during which at least four to five oxygen cylinders exploded. Twelve babies were taken out of the hospital, out which six died. The death of one more baby was recorded before the blaze broke out.

All the seven dead babies were aged between one and 17 days, and their families said that they were paying between ₹10,000 and ₹15,000 per day.

Meanwhile, the families did not inform the infants’ mothers of the deaths as were recuperating after childbirth. They were all on bed rest, the families said.

Five of the six parents have already lost their children before as well, the families told HT.

Jyoti Rani, 35, and Vinod Sharma, 36, residents of Jwala Nagar in Shahdara, gave birth to their baby boy on Saturday morning. “They have lost three babies so far. The first time, Jyoti suffered a miscarriage. The second baby died right after birth due to some complications about two years ago. Now, they have lost their third child. It’s unbearable,” said Vinod’s nephew Amit Sharma, 37, who stood next to him, adding that the couple has a five-year-old son. The child was born at a different hospital, from where he was referred here due to some breathing distress.

Robin’s brother Hrithik Chaudhary and his wife Nikita brought their one-day-old son to this centre on May 18. “Why did the facility store so many oxygen cylinders on the floor, which is right below the ward where the infants were kept,” Robin asked.

Sitara and Masi Alam celebrated their son’s birth on May 22 at a hospital in Dilshad Garden. But soon, the baby developed an infection in the stomach, following which he was referred to the centre. “We saw the news on Facebook. It’s horrible that the hospital did not inform us. We want justice for our child,” said Alam. The family said that the couple lost their five-year-old son a few years ago.

A constable from Uttar Pradesh was among the victims who lost his six-day-old son.

Pawan Kumar, 28, and his wife Bharti, 24, were blessed with their first born – a daughter – and welcomed her with much fanfare at their home in Ghaziabad. “The pain of losing the first born is beyond measure. She had an infection in her stomach and needed to be put on ventilator,” said Kumar’s elder brother Yogesh Kasana, 38.

Just like other families, Anjar Khan, 30, from Kanti Nagar received a call around 12 noon on Sunday from a friend who asked him to watch the news. His 11-day-old daughter was in the facility and the doctor, nurses or the staffers did not take his calls. So, rushed to the spot, he said.

He then went to the private centre where doctors told him his daughter died last night and was shifted to GTB Hospital. “We didn’t even name her. I never even held her in my arms. She just had some infection and low platelet count... I feel I failed as a father,” said Khan, who works at a digital embroidery workshop in northeast Delhi.

This baby was his third child. His two children are aged around four and three years old. “She had some infection due to water. Since May 15, I have been travelling from Delhi to Ghaziabad every day to get her blood. I have spent more than ₹2 lakh and have taken loans from at least five people. I was still happy as it was all for my baby girl. What do I do now?” he said.

A newborn who died before

Around 9.30pm on Saturday, Naveen Kumar, 32, a farmer, received a call from the facility informing him that his three-day-old son died. The family decided not to inform the mother as she was recovering. They informed the hospital that they’ll collect the body on Sunday morning.

“Our child did not die in the fire but a loss is a loss. I feel terrible for the ones who have lost their babies in the fire. My grandson was born in a hospital in Shalimar Garden on Thursday and developed a breathing problem because of which he was referred here,” said Seva Ram, 63.