A new tragedy claimed seven lives yesterday in Dindigul, in Tamil Nadu, last month the case of ten newborns killed by flames in Utaar Pradesh. At least 11 serious accidents with more than 100 deaths in the last five years. The causes are always the same: poorly designed emergency exits, lack of control of the electrical load, carelessness in the storage of combustible materials. And justice is slow to prosecute those responsible.
Delhi () – Seven people, including a three-year-old child, died in a fire at a private hospital in Dindigul, in the state of Tamil Nadu, on Thursday night, December 12. The flames – probably caused by a short circuit – engulfed the entire center, which specializes in orthopedics. Rescue teams freed six people who had been trapped in an elevator after breathing fumes from the fire: they were transferred to other facilities to treat serious poisoning.
Fires in healthcare facilities are, unfortunately, not an isolated incident in India. Just a month ago, the country was deeply shocked by the death of 10 newborns caused by flames at the Jhansi Teaching Hospital, in the state of Uttar Pradesh. On that occasion, the Indian Express newspaper had analyzed the causes and consequences of 11 serious hospital fires that occurred in the last five years, which had claimed a total of 107 lives. With the exception of one case from earlier this year, in all the others accused of gross negligence – owners or directors of hospitals – were free on bail and in seven cases their court cases were prolonged.
According to the Times of India, Delhi has recorded as many as 66 fires in hospitals in the last two years, 30 in 2022 and 36 in 2023. The last fire occurred on May 25, 2024, when seven newborns lost their lives in the flames. at the private neonatal hospital in Vivek Vihar area, east Delhi. In that case, the center was operating with an expired license, lacked qualified doctors, and had not obtained the necessary authorization from the fire department.
In general, those responsible insist on the complexity of evacuating patients, especially in children’s hospitals: many lack adequate infrastructure, such as wider stairs and compartments for rapid evacuation. Fire investigations virtually always identify the same incriminating factors: poorly designed emergency exits, failure to verify electrical loads, irrational use of oxygen, and failure to comply with storage protocols for combustible materials. Hence the urgent need for adequate security measures and stricter surveillance to avoid similar tragedies in the future.
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