Eight Patients Killed After Fire Breaks Out At Trauma Centre Of Jaipur's SMS Hospital

Jaipur: At least eight patients including two women were killed and a three others are in a critical condition after a fire broke out at the trauma centre of the state-run Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital in Rajasthan's Jaipur city between the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.

The fire triggered by a suspected short-circuit broke out on the second floor, causing panic among patients and attendants. The blaze soon turned severe filling the Neuro ICU with smoke and fire, and killing eight patients. The incident occurred between 2 and 3 am on Monday morning.

Medical College Principal Dr Deepak Maheshwari confirmed that six patients had died due to the fire and suffocation. Sources told ETV Bharat that two more patients succumbed after they were rescued from the burning ward.

Patients and their relatives claimed that no hospital staff arrived even after being informed initially when smoke began entering the ICU. "We noticed smoke and immediately informed the staff, but they did not pay any heed. When the fire broke out, they were the first to run. Now, we cannot get any information about our patients. We want to know their condition, but no one is telling us," one attendent said.

Trauma centre in-charge Dr Anurag Dhakad said that 11 patients were being treated in the Neuro ICU when the fire erupted in the storage area. Six of the eight deceased were identified as Pintu (from Sikar), Dilip (from Andhi, Jaipur), Shrinath, Rukmini, Khurma (all from Bharatpur) and Bahadur (from Sanganer, Jaipur).

The fire created chaos in the building, with smoke rapidly spreading throughout the floor and causing panic among patients and their families. Various documents, ICU equipment, blood sample tubes, and other items stored in the area were gutted by the fire.

Hospital staff and patient attendants evacuated patients, even transporting them with their beds outside the building. Firefighters arrived shortly after being alerted and brought the fire under control in approximately two hours. When the fire team arrived, the entire ward was engulfed in smoke. The firefighters had to break a window on the opposite side of the building to start extinguishing the fire.

Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel and Minister of State for Home Jawahar Singh Bedham visited the trauma centre to take stock of the situation. When Patel and Bedham initially arrived, the attendants of two patients expressed their anguish, alleging that the staff fled during the fire. They also claimed that the hospital staff could not provide updates on their patients' conditions. Later, the chief minister also arrived at the scene and spoke to the doctors and patients.

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