A SPECIAL REPORT: Jhansi hospital fire tragedy: A continuing crisis

A deadly fire in the NICU at Jhansi’s Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College has left at least 10 newborns dead and 16 others fighting for their lives. The tragedy, sparked by an apparent electrical short circuit, is the latest in a series of devastating hospital fires that continue to expose the glaring safety lapses in India’s medical infrastructure.

By Navin Upadhyay

In a heart-wrenching repeat of past tragedies, the fire that tore through the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi on Friday night claimed the lives of at least 10 newborns. As of Saturday, 16 others remained critically injured. This tragedy has once again raised critical questions about the fire safety measures in Indian hospitals, which continue to fail to learn from the many similar incidents that have occurred over the years.

The fire in Jhansi broke out around 10:45 PM, likely triggered by an electrical short circuit, possibly originating from an oxygen concentrator. The children in the outer sections of the NICU, along with a few from the more critical interior, were rescued, but the death toll rose as efforts to save the injured continued.

Eyewitness accounts and videos from the scene show a panicked evacuation, with patients and their families desperately fleeing the chaos as police and rescue teams worked frantically to bring the situation under control. UP Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak, who visited the site on Saturday morning, confirmed the preliminary cause of the fire and promised a thorough investigation, including DNA tests to identify those who had not been named.

This tragic incident follows a disturbing pattern of hospital fires across India, where the safety of the most vulnerable is put at risk due to negligence and inadequate safety protocols. In 2011, a massive fire at AMRI Hospital in Kolkata killed 93 people, many of whom were patients trapped by locked doors and inadequate emergency exits. In 2017, a fire at ESI Hospital in New Delhi led to the death of two patients and injuries to several others, again pointing to electrical faults and poor fire safety measures.

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Similarly, a 2020 fire at Bhandara District General Hospital in Maharashtra claimed the lives of 10 newborns in the NICU, and the fire at Surat Civil Hospital in Gujarat in 2022 injured multiple patients due to an explosion caused by faulty equipment.

Despite the lessons these tragedies should have taught, it seems that the system continues to fail. Hospitals across India are often underfunded and overcrowded, with poor infrastructure, outdated equipment, and inadequate fire safety systems. In many cases, faulty electrical wiring, overcrowding, and lack of emergency exits have exacerbated the damage when disaster strikes.

In Jhansi, the local administration and the state government, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, have taken immediate action, ordering a high-level probe and offering condolences to the affected families. But the question remains: how many more tragedies will it take for hospitals in India to implement the necessary fire safety measures? More importantly, when will hospitals prioritize the safety of their patients over profits and administrative convenience?

It is not enough to promise investigations and compensation after such disasters. The long-term solution lies in systematic changes to hospital infrastructure, better fire safety regulations, and stricter enforcement of safety codes. For India’s hospitals to truly learn from the past, they must begin by putting safety first—before it’s too late.

Major Hospital Fire Tragedies in India

These tragic incidents highlight the severe lack of fire safety measures and the urgent need for better enforcement of hospital safety regulations in India. Many of these fires were caused by electrical faults, faulty equipment, and poor infrastructure, further exacerbated by overcrowding and inadequate emergency preparedness.