Jhansi hospital fire: UP government announces financial aid for Rs 5 lakh for parents of deceased newborns
Hours after a devastating fire claimed the lives of at least 10 newborns in Jhansi district, the Uttar Pradesh government announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh for each of the affected families, according to an official statement.
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FollowHours after a devastating fire claimed the lives of at least 10 newborns in Jhansi district, the Uttar Pradesh government announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh for each of the affected families, according to an official statement. The statement also mentioned that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his profound sorrow over the tragic incident, which occurred in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Jhansi Medical College.
"On the instructions of the chief minister, an assistance of Rs 5 lakh each is being provided to the parents of the newborn babies, who died untimely in the incident, and Rs 50,000 each to the family members of the injured from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund," the statement said.
As soon as the information about the incident was received late Friday night, the chief minister sent Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak and Principal Secretary Health to the spot overnight, the statement added.
The Chief Minister stayed constantly updated on the situation throughout the night, receiving real-time information and monitoring the news coverage, as stated in an official release.
He has instructed the Divisional Commissioner and the DIG of Jhansi to submit a detailed report on the incident within the next 12 hours.
At least 10 children lost their lives in the fire that ravaged the children's ward of Jhansi's Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, while 16 others, who sustained injuries, were fighting for their lives on Saturday.
District Magistrate (DM) Avinash Kumar informed the media that the fire broke out around 10:45 pm on Friday in the NICU of the medical college, likely caused by an electrical short circuit.
The children, who were in the outer section of the NICU, were rescued, along with some from the inner part of the ward.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak informed PTI on Saturday that the fire had claimed the lives of 10 newborns, while 16 others were receiving treatment in different wards of Jhansi Medical College. The children, aged three to four days, are being kept in warmers.
He stated that the incident was caused by an electrical short circuit and assured that strict action would be taken against those responsible.
In the early hours of Saturday, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sudha Singh told reporters that efforts were ongoing to save the 16 injured children, who are being treated with all necessary medical care.
Singh confirmed that, while 10 children had died, the others were either rescued or found injured.
The SSP also mentioned that some parents had taken their children home after the fire broke out in the NICU. She added that the police were working to verify the exact number of children who were in the NICU and their current condition.
"The medical college has informed that 52 to 54 children were admitted at the time of the incident. 10 of them have died, 16 are undergoing treatment while verification for others is ongoing," she added.
The SSP stated that the rescue operation in the NICU was completed around 1 am.
Established in 1968, the state-run Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College is one of the largest government hospitals in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh.
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