Hospital fire: Couple loses fourth child after three stillborn kids
The sorrow of the Bhanarkar couple has been immeasurable as their daughter born last week, after 14 years of marriage and three stillborn children, died in a fire that broke out in the early hours of Saturday in the Special Newborn Care Unit of a four-story hospital in Maharashtra's Bhandara district. Nine other infants aged between one month and three months were also killed.
'Children should live and should be playing'
Hirkanya Bhanarkar (39), hailing from Usgaon village in Sakoli tehsil of Bhandara had given birth to a baby girl on January 6 after having three still-born babies. "Such a thing should not happen to anyone...children should live and should be playing," Hirkanya's distraught husband Hiralal told reporters on Sunday night outside Akoli Public Health Centre (PHC) in Bhandara.
The death has left the mother in a 'deep shock'
After waiting for 14 years, the couple's dream of having a baby was snatched away just when it started to look real. While speaking of his loss, Hiralal was struggling to suppress his emotions. Hirkanya, who is currently admitted at the PHC, is too dazed to speak. "She is in deep shock," a nurse told a news channel.
The baby girl was born two months early
Hirkanya gave birth to the girl on January 6 at the Sakoli sub-district hospital. "However, as the girl was born in the seventh month and was underweight, she was shifted to the Special Newborn Care Unit of Bhandara district hospital on the same day," the nurse said. According to her, the premature birth happened as the couple didn't have a toilet at home.
Absence of toilet at home led to the premature delivery
"The mother fell down while she was attending to nature's call, which led to the premature delivery. Had it not been for this accident, the girl would have born healthy after two months," the nurse said.
Uddhav Thackeray met the kin of the deceased newborns
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday met the kin of the newborns who died and said a probe will ascertain if the fire was an accident or was the fallout of ignoring an earlier safety report. "I have no words to console them, as the lives which are lost cannot be brought back. I have also inspected the spot," he said.
Strict action if any negligence or lapses are found
Thackeray also spoke to hospital and health officials. "Truth will come out. We are not going to blame anyone purposefully, but if any negligence is found, stringent action will be taken against those responsible for any lapses," he added.
