A catastrophic fire in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, resulted in the deaths of 10 newborns, bringing critical lapses in hospital safety to light. The incident, which occurred around 10:30 pm on Friday, has left families devastated and raised serious concerns about public healthcare infrastructure.
Preliminary investigations uncovered alarming negligence in the hospital’s safety measures. Fire extinguishers in the NICU had expired in 2020, and safety alarms failed to activate during the emergency, significantly delaying evacuation efforts. The blaze reportedly originated from a short circuit in an oxygen concentrator. However, eyewitness accounts suggested another possibility—that a nurse may have lit a matchstick while attempting to fix an oxygen cylinder pipe, as reported by India Today.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered a high-level investigation and directed authorities to submit a detailed report by Saturday evening. The CM announced compensation of ₹5 lakh for the families of each deceased child and ₹50,000 for the injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sorrow over the incident and pledged an additional ₹2 lakh compensation from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak confirmed that a short circuit was the probable cause of the fire but assured a thorough investigation to verify conflicting witness accounts.
The tragedy drew sharp criticism from the opposition. Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav slammed the state administration, describing government hospitals as “hubs of negligence and corruption.” He urged CM Adityanath to focus on improving the state’s healthcare infrastructure instead of prioritizing election campaigns.
Shocking visuals from the site revealed charred medical equipment and a completely gutted NICU ward. The fire took over two hours to extinguish, during which frantic hospital staff and parents attempted to rescue infants.
This heartbreaking incident has ignited urgent calls for stringent safety protocols in public healthcare facilities, especially in wards housing vulnerable patients like newborns. It underscores the critical need for systemic reforms to prevent such tragedies in the future.
