The Baby Care New Born Hospital at Delhi's Vivek Vihar, where seven children died after a fire tore through the building, functioned without necessary safety precautions, according to a report. An inspection by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) team revealed that the building had no emergency exits, non-functional fire extinguishers, fire alarms or water sprinkler system.
The NCPCR team, led by member Preeti Bharadwaj Dalal which visited the site on Sunday to assess the situation, found grave safety lapses, a clear violation of the National Building Code of India, 2016, and guidelines from the National Disaster Management Authority.
Six newborns died at the hospital on Sunday after a massive fire broke out which soon The fire broke out in the Baby Care New Born Hospital at around 11.30 pm on Saturday and soon spread to two other adjacent buildings.
The commission also found that the hospital lacked preparedness for an emergency as it was the local people who alerted the fire and rescue services, not the hospital staff. This suggested a severe lack of emergency training among the staff.
The NCPCR, in a report shared with the Delhi LG and Police Commissioner, also claimed the incident occurred due to negligence on the part of the nursing home authorities. The commission has also demanded from the hospital the No Objection Certificate from the Fire department, its operating licence, its registration certificate, a list of all staff with their qualifications, the sanctioned capacity of NICU beds/incubators, a copy of the First Information Report (FIR) related to the incident, the post mortem reports, and the licence for refilling the oxygen unit.
The police have launched an investigation into why 27 oxygen cylinders were kept in the hospital. Five of these had exploded during the deadly blaze
Meanwhile, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Monday said the hospital had been refilling oxygen from a bigger cylinder to a smaller one. He added that it was illegal for a hospital to have a refilling system since it could lead to a fire.
Several residents too allege that the hospital carried out refilling oxygen from big to small cylinders. However, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdra) Surendra Choudhary said they have not found any clues so far to corroborate the claims.
At the same time, he said the police are trying to ascertain why 27 oxygen cylinders were stored in the five-bed hospital. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
Police said that the private neonatal hospital was operating despite the expiry of its licence on March 31. It also did not have qualified doctors and no clearance from the fire department.
There are also complaints that many parents whose newborns were admitted to the facility had no clue what was going on.
