Panic in ICU housing midday meal victims

Panic hit the pediatric intensive care unit (PIKU) at the Patna medical college hospital here today, when a window air-conditioning unit in the room malfunctioned and started emitting smoke. Ruchir Kumar reports.

Panic hit the pediatric intensive care unit (PIKU) at the Patna medical college hospital here Friday, when a window air-conditioning unit in the room malfunctioned and started emitting smoke.

HT Image

Three Saran midday meal poisoning victims were among six children, undergoing treatment in the unit, who rushed out of PIKU when gas leaked from the compressor of a window AC installed in the room.

The incident and the ensuing commotion occurred around 1.15 pm when the AC was undergoing repairs.

“The inmates did rush out of the PIKU when the unit started emitting smoke but were back in the room within a few minutes on restoration of normalcy”, head of PMCH’s pediatrics department Sanjata Roy Choudhary told HT.

Describing the incident as “minor”, she said the children were never in any danger. “The malfunctioning AC unit has since been taken out of the children’s ICU”, she added.