Oppn demands probe, govt support to victims

T'puram/Kozhikode: Opposition Leader V D Satheesan on Saturday sought a comprehensive investigation into Friday night fire incident at Kozhikode medical college hospital. He urged govt to bear the treatment costs of those admitted to private hospitals."The fire in the emergency department of Kozhikode govt medical college hospital and the alleged death of five people are shocking and extremely serious. Govt should immediately order a high-level investigation into the incident," Satheesan said."There are allegations of delay in transferring patients from the emergency department after the incident, and it should be investigated. There is still ambiguity and mystery surrounding the death of five individuals, and clarity is needed. If there was any negligence on the part of the hospital authorities, strict action should be taken," he said."Currently, all patients transferred to private hospitals are ordinary people with no means. Govt should be prepared to fully cover their treatment costs. Despite hours of the accident, there has been no directive from govt regarding this. This is a failure of health department and govt systems," he alleged.Kalpetta MLA T Siddique on Saturday hit out at the hospital authorities for lapses in following fire and safety protocols. He criticised the officials for not establishing a fire station on the campus. Earlier, in a Facebook post, Siddique said, "The accident at Kozhikode medical college was extremely serious. Patients reported that it exploded with a terrifying noise. There was chaos as patients and others ran for safety. Naseera, a 44-year-old woman from Meppadi in my constituency, died. She passed away during rescue efforts."Poisoning was identified as the reason for death of Naseera, who was in the emergency department. Siddique said that she had shown signs of improvement before the fire. He added that her family informed him that she consumed juice while undergoing treatment and was feeling better before the fire incident. He demanded a detailed investigation into the deaths.Former opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala demanded an investigation saying it was astonishing that a hospital like medical college, which receives tens of thousands of patients daily, lacked a fire and safety department. "Death of patients admitted to the medical college's casualty ward are nothing but murders caused by govt negligence," said Chennithala.He alleged that fire in the new block was due to govt's irresponsibility and corruption in purchasing the batteries that caused it. "Low-quality materials were used in the wiring of new block. The absence of a fire and safety system or technicians is also shocking. Waste blocking the pathways for evacuating patients, old furniture piled up on stairs and lack of an emergency gate in the perimeter wall, which had to be broken to bring in an ambulance, all are evidence of govt's disregard for people's lives," he said.Failure of govt and health department to take safety precautions even in the construction of hospital buildings has become a liability for Kerala, he alleged.Around 200 patients of the new casualty block of Kozhikode govt medical college hospital were evacuated after smoke emanated from the UPS (uninterrupted power supply) room on Friday night. Bodies of five patients were shifted to the medical college mortuary after the incident, leading to allegations that they had lost life following the accident.