Shortly after a fire incident forced the evacuation of 424 patients from the Nehru Hospital block of the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh on Tuesday, PGIMER authorities wasted no time in establishing a 14-member committee to investigate the cause and formulate an action plan to avert future occurrences at the premier health institution in the region. The committee, led by Dr. Naresh Panda, has been tasked with determining the root cause of the fire and devising strategies to prevent such incidents.
The blaze reportedly initiated in the computer room’s uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system on the hospital’s first floor around midnight. Smoke swiftly ascended through the hospital, eventually affecting the intensive care units within the facility. Firefighting units were swiftly deployed to combat the fire, but the damage to the block, which houses critical units, was substantial.
Vipin Koushal, the medical superintendent at PGIMER, confirmed that all patients in the intensive care units were successfully evacuated, prioritizing their safety above all else.
Preliminary reports point to a short circuit in the computer room as the source of the fire. The fire spread rapidly throughout the C-block, encompassing vital departments such as dialysis, adult kidney care, renal transplant, medical and gynecology wards, and various specialized care units, including neonatal intensive care, hematology ICU, respiratory ICU, and round-the-clock operating theaters. As smoke engulfed the corridors, patients in the advanced urology center and male surgical ward in adjacent areas were also relocated to safety.
A total of 424 patients were evacuated, including 351 adults, 80 pregnant women, 56 infants, and 17 children from the pediatric ward. The patients were relocated to secure areas within Nehru Hospital and the Nehru Hospital Extension Block. In a precautionary measure, patients from adjoining wards and corridors were also repositioned to appropriate wards or ICUs.