E-Paper
10 infants evacuated after ventilator in Assam’s Dibrugarh hospital catches fire
The incident happened around 6:30 pm when a ventilator unit caught fire due to a short circuit. The baby in the unit was immediately moved out and as a safety measure 10 other new-born children were also shifted to another part of the hospital.
Swift action by doctors and other staff helped avert a tragedy after a ventilator of an intensive care unit (ICU) of a paediatric ward in Assam Medical College Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh, caught fire on Wednesday.
According to hospital authorities, the incident happened around 6:30 pm when a ventilator unit caught fire due to a short circuit. The baby in the unit was immediately moved out and as a safety measure other new-born children were also shifted to another part of the hospital.
“As it was an ICU unit, doctors and staff took immediate action and the fire was doused. The baby in the particular unit and all other babies of the ICU are safe and there’s no cause for worry,” Dr Sanjeev Kakati, principal-cum-chief superintendent of AMCH told HT over phone.
On being questioned whether the ventilator unit that caught fire was part of supplies from the PM Cares Fund, Dr Kakati mentioned that since the hospital had received several such units over the course of the past one-and-half years from various sources it would be difficult to verify its origin.
“There’s no certainty whether the short circuit took place due to a problem in the machine or due to some issues in wiring. As a safety measure, we have ordered an electrical audit of the entire hospital, which will be conducted on Thursday,” Dr Kakati said.
