300 patients rushed out from ICCU as blaze begins near cath lab in VS hospital. Short-circuit said to be the cause; dense smoke chokes the areas around the fire site
Two patients died at the Vadilal Sarabhai (VS) Hospital in Ahmedabad when a fire broke out near its catheter laboratory at around 1 pm on Saturday.
As many as 300 patients had to be shifted from the hospital’s ICCU which is close to the catheter laboratory. Preliminary investigations indicated that the fire was caused by an electric short circuit.
Rasool Linger, who works as a cameraman for a TV news channel, is admitted at the VS hospital where his condition is said to be critical.
Linger had gone into the hospital to report on the fire but was soon overwhelmed by the dense smoke. Sources said that because of the effect of the smoke, his lungs are not functioning properly.
The two patients who died have been identified as Hamida Memon, 59, and Roop Bahadur Maher. Memon, a resident of Kalol, was admitted to the VS Hospital for treatment of diabetes.
She was shifted from the ICCU to the trauma centre after the fire broke out. Maher, who had come to the hospital for an MRI test, died during the chaos caused by the fire.
But there has been no official statement from the hospital that the two patients had died because of the fire.
Preliminary investigation by the officials of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) revealed that the fire was caused by the inverter kept in the catheter laboratory’s electricity room.
A source at the FSL said experts of the company, Wipro Technologies, which had supplied the equipment, will also be consulted. The entire electric wiring at the fire site was destroyed in the fire.
The Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Service (AFES) responded immediately to the call for help and its firemen reached the hospital in 5-7 minutes.
The patients were shifted immediately to safer rooms in the same hospital.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}