Newborn dies, two injured after warmer catches fire at MP hospital

A newborn died and two other infants sustained burn injuries after a warmer caught fire inside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Chhindwara District Hospital in Madhya Pradesh in the early hours of Saturday.

The incident occurred around 1:50 am when a spark in the heating filament of the warmer triggered a blaze while three newborns were placed inside the equipment. Hospital staff acted quickly, removing the infants from the warmer and extinguishing the fire.

All three babies were initially examined by specialists, including the Dean and Medical Superintendent of Chhindwara District Medical College. They were later referred to Jabalpur Medical College for specialised treatment, with one of the infants succumbing to injuries during or after the transfer. The injured newborns were transported by ambulance under medical supervision, with doctors accompanying them.

At the time of the incident, the unit housed 33 newborns. While three infants were inside the warmer, the remaining 30 were safely evacuated from the unit.

The incident has highlighted gaps in specialised paediatric care in Chhindwara, as the infants had to be shifted to Jabalpur due to the unavailability of a paediatric surgeon at the local facility.

Civil Surgeon Kanchan Dubey said the staff responded swiftly after noticing the flames. She ruled out negligence at this stage, stating that the incident appeared to be an accident. "Administrative officials will come and conduct their own investigation; I do not see any negligence here. It appears to be an accident," she said.

Technicians have been called to inspect the warmer and other electrical equipment in the unit. The hospital administration is expected to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident. The fire also caused concern among families of other newborns admitted to the unit, with visuals showing staff rushing to evacuate infants following the fire.