Fire at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital; none hurt

A major mishap was averted at the Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, thanks to the swift response by healthcare workers who managed to extinguish a fire which broke out in the surgical ICU on the first floor of the Multispeciality block at the hospital.

No injuries were reported in the incident, which took place at around 8.55 a.m., and all patients in the ICU were evacuated and moved to safety. The hospital, the oldest and a prestigious tertiary care institution in the State, is visited by thousands every day.

Mayor V.V. Rajesh, City Police Commissioner K. Karthick and Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rajan Khobragade rushed to the spot in alarm to manage the situation.

Ventilator burst

The fire broke out inside a ventilator, which burst, but the house surgeons, doctors, and nurses in the ICU acted swiftly, cutting off the oxygen line and managed to bring the fire under control using the fire extinguishers inside the facility.

However, thick smoke from the ventilator and its parts filled the ICU, creating much panic amongst the hundreds of people, including patients’ families, who were waiting outside the ICU.

By the time two fireforce units from Chackai and Chengalchoola fire stations took over the scene, the situation was already under control.

Patients shifted out

The 16 patients inside the ICU were immediately shifted out and another 16 patients in the ward opposite the ICU were also moved in no time. As a matter of “abundant precaution”, about 63 patients in the cardiothoracic and pulmonary ICUs in the second and third floor of the block were also shifted out. All patients have been accommodated in wards 7 and 8 where ICU facilities were created. Despite the anxiety they went through, all patients are stable, medical college authorities said.

Dr. Khobragade, who visited the hospital, was all praise for the remarkable presence of mind and courage shown by the healthcare personnel, whose immediate response had helped douse the fire and get the situation under control.

Safety audit

He said that a team from the electrical inspectorate was inspecting the electrical wiring of the entire building to pinpoint the cause of the fire.

“We have requested the electrical inspectorate to conduct a safety audit and preventive technical analysis of the medical college buildings in all districts, “ he said.

BJP leader and former Union Minister V. Muraleedharan, who visited the MCH, said that hundreds of patients were in the building at the time of the fire and a one-line statement from the authorities that the situation was brought under control was not satisfactory.

He demanded that a serious inquiry be conducted into the incident. He added that the string of incidents, including accidents and alleged negligences, will erode the public’s confidence in the health system.