Kashmir

B&J hospital fire incident: Investigations on; probing actual cause of fire, say top health officials

SRINAGAR — Authorities are working hard to find out the reasons behind the fire incident at Bone and Joints Hospital Barzulla, Srinagar in which emergency Operation Theatre (OT), faculty rooms and 12-bed spinal ward were reduced to heaps of rubble.

Top officials of health and medical education department told that the department is deeply concerned and monitoring the aftermath of the devastating fire incident at B&Js Hospital Srinagar and so far OPD services have been already started while as emergency services are being started besides that work is going on so that hospital will again start functioning normally at an earliest.

He said that reasons are also being ascertained why the incident happened despite regular fire safety audits and adequate measures.

Official sources told KNO that the matter is being looked into with a report also sought from fire Department in this regard and cause of fire is being ascertained.

Principal GMC Srinagar Dr Samia Rashid on Saturday had told KNO that the cause of the fire is being ascertained.

Nonetheless, she refuted LPG cylinder blasts in the hospital as being attributed to a statement by a senior health official.

The investigations to ascertain the cause of fire is on while restoring the immediate patient care especially of shifted patients to various hospitals and resumption of OPD and emergency services at unaffected building of Bone and Joint Hospital Barzulla is top priority this time, she said.

Meanwhile Medical Superintendent Bone and Joint hospital Barzulla Srinagar Dr Mian Suhail told KNO that evacuation of 113 patients during fire was a big and hectic challenge as the condition of ortho patients is known to everyone.

He said that their entire staff risked their lives to evacuate the patients safely.

He said that Ortho patients can’t move so they had taken care of everyone one by one and taking everyone out without any injury was very encouraging for which credit must be given to staff, locals and other departments. — (KNO)