Fire at Jaipur's SMS hospital kills 6 ICU patients, 5 critically injured; outrage over safety lapses

A fire ripped through the Trauma ICU of Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital late Sunday (Oct 5) night, killing six patients and leaving five others critical, officials said. The blaze broke out on the second floor of the Trauma Centre, where 24 patients were admitted — 11 in the Trauma ICU and 13 in a nearby semi-ICU. The fire spread quickly, releasing toxic smoke that engulfed the ward before staff and relatives could react. Trauma Centre in-charge Dr. Anurag Dhakad revealed that the blaze was triggered by a short circuit and said the team immediately began evacuations using trolleys, but six critical patients — two women and four men — could not be revived despite CPR.

Rescue efforts complicated

Dhakad, as per an ANI report, told the press that amid to the fire and the resulting toxic gases, rescue efforts were complicated by the fact that most of the patients were comatose. "Our trauma centre team, our nursing officers, and ward boys, immediately rescued them on trolleys and brought as many patients as we could out of the ICU and shifted them to another location."

"Six of those patients were very critical; we tried very hard to revive them with CPR, but they couldn't be saved. Five patients are still critical. Of the deceased patients, two were women, four were men. There were 24 that we evacuated: 11 in the trauma ICU and 13 in the adjacent ICU."

Kin of patients blame staff

Outside the hospital, distraught relatives accused staff of negligence and a lack of safety measures.

“When there was a spark, there was a cylinder beside it. The smoke spread throughout the ICU, causing everyone to flee in panic. Some managed to rescue their own patients, but mine was left alone in the room. As the gas spread further, they shut the gates,” said Puran Singh, whose relative was admitted to the ICU.

Another man, Jogendra Singh, said he had warned doctors multiple times about sparks but was ignored. “When the spark occurred, I alerted the doctors four to five times that it was coming from there, but they dismissed it as normal. Suddenly, smoke engulfed the area, and all the staff ran out, leaving no one to help or save my mother,” he said.

Narendra Singh, who had stepped out for dinner when the fire began, said there were “any equipment to douse the fire--no facilities were available.”

Officials said 141 people were evacuated from the Trauma Centre building, though many suffered smoke inhalation.

Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma visited the hospital after midnight and met with officials and families of the victims. Authorities have ordered a probe into the cause of the short circuit and lapses in emergency response.