Delhi Hospital Where 7 Babies Died In Huge Fire Is Not New To Controversy

The Delhi children’s hospital, where seven babies died in a massive fire on Saturday night, was embroiled in a massive controversy a few years ago over the assault of a newborn.

The staff of Baby Care New Born Hospital in East Delhi’s Vivek Vihar was accused of assaulting a baby during treatment in 2021.

The case was registered after a security camera footage – which had gone viral – showed a nurse beating the baby due to which the boy’s hand was fractured. The First Information Report or FIR had also alleged that the hospital was unregistered.

Yesterday’s tragedy has revealed several lapses at the hospital yet again. The facility didn’t have any fire extinguishers or an emergency exit, police said. The doctor who was on duty when the accident happened was not qualified to treat newborns in need of neo-natal incentive care, they added.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Surendra Chaudhary said that the hospital had more than the authorised number of oxygen cylinders.

The licence issued to the hospital by the Directorate General of Health Services or DGHS had already expired on March 31, nearly two months before the accident.

Dr Naveen Khichi, the owner of the hospital who had been on the run since Saturday night after the fire broke out, was arrested yesterday.

Dr Naveen, who runs many other hospitals for babies in the national capital, is being questioned.

Another doctor who was on duty when the fire broke out has also been arrested.

A fire tore through Baby Care New Born Hospital on Saturday night in which seven newborns were killed. The fire, which erupted around 11.32 pm, quickly intensified due to the presence of numerous oxygen cylinders that began to explode, spreading the blaze further and causing extensive damage.

People who saw the huge fire engulf the children’s hospital had scaled the compound wall, and climbed from the rear side of the building to rescue newborns, eyewitnesses told news agency PTI.

They said local residents and members of a non-profit, Shaheed Seva Dal, were the first to rush to help. They were soon joined by fire department officials and the police.