Neonatal ICU fire at Chhindwara hospital kills infant, injures two babies
A fire sparked by a warmer device in the NICU of Chhindwara district hospital killed one newborn and burned two others.
Early Saturday morning, a malfunctioning warmer machine set off sparks that caused a fire in the neonatal intensive care unit of Chhindwara district hospital in Madhya Pradesh. Hospital personnel used firefighting equipment to control the fire and administered primary treatment to the three newborns affected. All three were then referred to a better-equipped facility in Jabalpur; a newborn born to Shivani Verma and Aditya Verma later died despite surgery, while the other two infants sustained burn injuries and remain under care.
District hospital civil surgeon Kanchan Dubey confirmed the lack of a paediatric surgeon in Chhindwara as a factor in the referrals and announced an investigation into the cause of the fire. Opposition MLA Umang Singhar criticized the state BJP government, urging Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to conduct an immediate fire-safety audit of all hospitals in the state.
Why it matters
The tragedy highlights safety gaps in hospital equipment and raises concerns about patient protection in Indian healthcare facilities.
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