New Delhi:

The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of Delhi has launched a probe into the registration and regulatory management of all private hospitals and nursing homes in the city in the wake of a deadly fire at a neonatal hospital in Vivek Vihar that killed seven newborns, officials said on Friday.

ACB teams have inspected 40 private medical facilities in east Delhi in the last 48 hours and found anomalies in some of those, they said.

According to the officials, the ACB has formed four teams led by inspector-level officers for the purpose and it might take a couple of weeks to cover all private medical facilities in the national capital.

The officials said at least 15 hospitals and nursing homes, which were inspected, are located in Vivek Vihar and its nearby areas.

Six newborns died in the fire at the Baby Care New Born Hospital in Vivek Vihar on May 25. Among the five injured children rescued from the hospital, one died during treatment on Friday.

While ordering a comprehensive anti-corruption probe into the incident on Tuesday, Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena said the incident has brought out the “sheer mismanagement, criminal neglect and connivance of officials of the health department” in granting and renewing registrations of nursing homes.

Dr Naveen Khichi, the owner of the Vivek Vihar hospital, was arrested by the Delhi Police as the facility was found violating fire-safety norms. The hospital was allegedly treating patients beyond its capacity and its licence had expired on March 31, the officials said.

According to the ACB officials, the probe teams are checking the documents and registration certificates required for running hospitals and nursing homes. They are also probing the alleged involvement of government officials in allowing such facilities to operate in their areas, without proper registration certificates, licences and safety norms.

The officials said they have written to the Directorate General of Health Service (DGHS), which issues licences to private hospitals, to gather information about their process of field inspections while issuing clearances to such facilities.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A fresh chapter was written Wednesday in the persistent and bitter row between Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena and the ruling AAP, after the former suspended and urged disciplinary proceedings against a senior member of Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj’s office. Dr RN Das, an Officer on Special Duty, has been called out over alleged “misconduct with regard to (an) unauthorised and illegal” nursing home.

Mr Saxena has claimed Dr Das – when he was Medical Superintendent of the Delhi government’s Nursing Home Cell – kept the Jyoti Clinic and Nursing Home running by delaying renewal of its licence post-2014.

The LG – who has had multiple fiery run-ins with the ruling AAP and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal – cited a civil complaint against the nursing home – that it has been running despite a license called in 2018.

Mr Saxena has alleged the nursing home’s management had applied for a new licence – these are issued in three-year blocks only – but this had been kept pending by Dr Das. “Unauthorised running of the nursing home is attributed to the collusion of above official… with management of nursing home…”

“In this matter an inquiry was conducted… which concluded Dr RN Das, then Medical Superintendent (of the Nursing Home Cell)… was solely responsible for renewal of registration. It has been alleged Dr Das… provided unlawful shelter by keeping the license pending unnecessarily,” he said.

An earlier initial anti-corruption inquiry had said there is enough evidence to warrant a full inquiry.

Dr Das was posted to the Nursing Home Cell from  2011 to  2015, and from 2018 to 2022. “Given the long tenure of Dr RN Das… the officer is clearly responsible for the alleged misconduct,” Dr Saxena claimed.

Action against Dr Das (and, by implication, the Delhi Health Ministry) comes as the LG and the AAP trade blows over a horrific fire Saturday at a private children’s hospital.

READ | Delhi LG Takes Swipe At Kejriwal, Orders Corruption Probe Into Hospital Fire

Seven infants were killed in that fire, triggering a massive row as rivals BJP try to score political brownie points with voters ahead of the final phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

READ | Oxygen Cylinders Began To Explode: When Fire At Delhi Hospital Killed 7

The Delhi LG seemed to link the hospital fire and the alleged licensing failure, declaring “here also Dr Das had allowed registration of the children’s hospital without bothering to ascertain pending litigation and statutory compliance status, including fire safety”.

“… incidents point to the fact Dr RN Das has clearly abused his powers,” Dr Saxena declared.

On Tuesday the LG launched a front attack and declared himself “disappointed” Mr Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Mr Bhardwaj had “paid only lip service and given sound bites (to the press)… and shirked responsibility” since the gut-wrenching incident took place.

He said he had been compelled, “in public interest”, to order an anti-corruption probe into possible lapses in registration and regulatory management of Delhi’s private nursing homes.

The AAP has not yet responded, but Mr Bhardwaj has ordered a mandatory audit of safety equipment in city hospitals and the Delhi government has initiated a magistrate-level probe.

READ | After Delhi Hospital Tragedy, Minister’s Big Order On Fire Safety

In recent weeks Mr Saxena has also stepped into the Swati Maliwal row; he came out in support of Ms Maliwal, who has accused Mr Kejriwal’s aide of assault, and claimed himself “deeply distressed”.

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Seven newborns were killed in a massive fire at a childcare hospital in east Delhi’s Vivek Vihar. Several oxygen cylinders exploded spreading the blaze to adjacent buildings and pointed toward serious lapses in fire safety rules by the hospital.

The cops have arrested the owner of the hospital and a doctor and new details have emerged highlighting how safety measures were kept at stake.

Permission Only For 5 Beds 

Only five beds were approved at the child care hospital but at the time of the incident, 12 newborns were rescued from the facility but seven of them died. Five babies are undergoing treatment at another hospital.

The hospital was registered in 2021 and the license was valid till March 2024. The tragedy occurred on May 26 nearly two months before the incident. In 2019, a raid was conducted at the hospital over allegations that the hospital was running without a registration.

The hospital was located in a residential complex and the Vivek Vihar Resident Welfare Association has alleged that the owners were running a business of refilling Oxygen cylinders under the guise of a childcare hospital and the fire spread and damaged other buildings after the cylinders exploded. 

It is alleged that small cylinders were refilled using big Oxygen cylinders and were kept at the main gate of the hospital. 

No NOC, No Fire Extinguishers

Atul Garg, Chief Fire Officer told NDTV that while the building had reportedly acquired a No Objection Certificate (NOC), the fire department had no records of it. “We are verifying the NOC. If it’s found lacking, we will recommend the building’s closure. An investigation is underway to determine if proper firefighting measures were in place, but it’s difficult to assess right now as the building is completely gutted.”

Dr Naveen Khichi, the owner of New Born Baby Care Hospital in East Delhi’s Vivek Vihar, had been on the run since May 25 after the fire broke out.

The facility didn’t have any fire extinguishers or an emergency exit, police said. The doctor who was on duty when the accident happened was not qualified to treat newborns in need of neo-natal incentive care, they added. Dr Akash was a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) graduate.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Surendra Chaudhary said that the hospital had more than the authorised number of oxygen cylinders.

The relatives of the newborn baby claimed that despite the fire occurring late last night, they were only informed about it today at noon. The family expressed frustration at not being updated on the situation and demanded to see where the newborns were being kept so they could identify their baby.

Lt Governor Order Probe

Lt Governor VK Saxena has directed Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to “institute an inquiry” into the hospital blaze.

Mr Saxena said he had been compelled “in the public interest” to order an anti-corruption probe into possible lapses in registration and regulatory management of private nursing homes in the city.

“… ACB has been directed to undertake a comprehensive inquiry into the registration of nursing homes in the city, to assess how many nursing homes are functioning without valid registrations and if those that have a valid registration comply with prescribed norms…” Mr Saxena said.

Alleging “absence of ministerial oversight… criminal neglect, and connivance of government officials in granting or renewing licences for nursing homes”, he proclaimed he had been “forced to step in… on account of lack of seriousness on (the) part of authorities entrusted with these responsibilities”.

Earlier, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj directed the chief secretary to ensure a speedy inquiry into the fire incident. 

New Delhi:

In the aftermath of a blaze at a neonatal hospital that killed six newborns, the Delhi government has issued directions to all private and state-run hospitals to complete a fire audit and submit a compliance report by June 8, Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said on Monday.

Mr Bharadwaj said the owner of the hospital in east Delhi’s Vivek Vihar area was also running another nursing home “illegally” at Paschimpuri and a case was registered against him.

He had called for a meeting to discuss the fire incident at the medical centre.

Initially, police had said seven newborns were killed in the blaze but after the autopsy, it was found that one of the babies had died hours before the fire broke out.

Mr Bharadwaj said it had been learnt that oxygen refilling was being carried out at the hospital, and added that it would be looked into whether the facility was doing it on its own or some other agency was involved.

He stressed that it is illegal for a hospital to have a refilling system since it can lead to fire.

“On April 24, we issued directions to all hospitals for fire preparedness. On May 8, we asked them to conduct a fire audit. Now, we have asked all private and Delhi government-run hospitals to complete a fire audit and submit a compliance report by June 8 to the health department,” he told reporters.

The hospitals have also been asked to conduct an audit of the electrical system.

“In summer, the power load increases, which can lead to short circuits. We have also asked hospitals to carry out an audit of their electrical system to ensure that it can withstand the load,” Bharadwaj added.

The minister said they have also asked all chief district medical officers (CDMOs) to conduct random inspections of nursing homes and hospitals in their districts.

Talking about the Vivek Vihar hospital, he said that the hospital was functioning “illegally” with 12 beds as against the five beds it had permission for.

“It has been alleged that oxygen refilling was carried out at the hospital in violation of the norms and that will be looked into. The hospital’s registration certificate was valid till March 31 and they had applied for renewal. It was issued a deficiency memo as some documents were missing,” he added.

Bharadwaj said that a surprise inspection was carried out at the medical facility and some deficiencies were found, following which a case was also registered.

“The owner was also running another nursing home illegally at Paschimpuri and a case was registered against him. Both the cases are in trial. One is ongoing at Tis Hazari Court and another at Karkardooma Court. We hope that verdict will come in both cases soon,” he said.

He stressed that strict action would be taken against those involved in “illegally” running extra beds at the hospital.

Bharadwaj also clarified that the Delhi Fire Service had no record of issuing any NOC to the Vivek Vihar hospital since the height of the building was nine metres and according to rules such buildings do not require a fire NOC.

“Now, we will include a checklist of systems that will be required while issuing a registration certificate. These will include automatic smoke detection systems, fire extinguishers and water sprinklers in case of a fire,” he added.

The minister also said two nurses and five neighbours rescued some babies without worrying about their lives.

“They did not worry about their safety. We will recommend their names for bravery awards,” he added.

The revenue department has been asked to expedite the process of compensation to the families of the babies killed and injured in the fire, Bharadwaj said.

The meeting at the Delhi Secretariat, where health department officials were present, also discussed the ongoing heatwave conditions.

The private neonatal hospital in Vivek Vihar where six newborns died and five were injured in the blaze was operating despite the expiry of its licence. It also did not have qualified doctors and no clearance from the fire department, police said on Sunday.

Police have arrested Dr Naveen Khichi, the hospital’s owner, and Dr Aaksh — who was on duty at the time of the fire that took place on Saturday night.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Delhi children’s hospital, where seven babies died in a massive fire on Saturday night, was embroiled in a massive controversy a few years ago over the assault of a newborn.

The staff of Baby Care New Born Hospital in East Delhi’s Vivek Vihar was accused of assaulting a baby during treatment in 2021.

The case was registered after a security camera footage – which had gone viral – showed a nurse beating the baby due to which the boy’s hand was fractured. The First Information Report or FIR had also alleged that the hospital was unregistered.

Yesterday’s tragedy has revealed several lapses at the hospital yet again. The facility didn’t have any fire extinguishers or an emergency exit, police said. The doctor who was on duty when the accident happened was not qualified to treat newborns in need of neo-natal incentive care, they added.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Surendra Chaudhary said that the hospital had more than the authorised number of oxygen cylinders.

The licence issued to the hospital by the Directorate General of Health Services or DGHS had already expired on March 31, nearly two months before the accident.

Dr Naveen Khichi, the owner of the hospital who had been on the run since Saturday night after the fire broke out, was arrested yesterday.

Dr Naveen, who runs many other hospitals for babies in the national capital, is being questioned.

Another doctor who was on duty when the fire broke out has also been arrested.

A fire tore through Baby Care New Born Hospital on Saturday night in which seven newborns were killed. The fire, which erupted around 11.32 pm, quickly intensified due to the presence of numerous oxygen cylinders that began to explode, spreading the blaze further and causing extensive damage.

People who saw the huge fire engulf the children’s hospital had scaled the compound wall, and climbed from the rear side of the building to rescue newborns, eyewitnesses told news agency PTI.

They said local residents and members of a non-profit, Shaheed Seva Dal, were the first to rush to help. They were soon joined by fire department officials and the police.

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New Delhi:

The owner of a Delhi hospital where seven babies were killed in a fire has been arrested, the Delhi Police said.

Dr Naveen Khichi, the owner of New Born Baby Care Hospital in East Delhi’s Vivek Vihar, had been on the run since Saturday night after the fire broke out.

The police said he runs many other hospitals in Delhi.

Oxygen cylinders kept in the two-storey building exploded due to which the adjacent buildings were damaged, the fire department had said.

Firefighters also faced challenges during the rescue operation as the lane was narrow, with overhead wires.

“Several people had gathered at the spot and were recording videos. Many of them came close to those trying to douse the flames,” a fire department officer said. “Another challenge we faced was there was no water source. Low-hanging electrical wires were a big problem,” the officer added.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson Priyank Kanoongo said the commission’s team will visit the hospital to investigate the incident.

People who saw the huge fire engulf the children’s hospital had scaled the compound wall, and climbed from the rear side of the building to rescue newborns, eyewitnesses told news agency PTI.

The eyewitnesses said local residents and members of a non-profit, Shaheed Seva Dal, were the first to rush to help.

Ravi Gupta, a resident, said locals were the first to enter the burning hospital and bring out as many babies as they could.

They were soon joined by fire department officials and the police. A member of the Sewa Dal alleged the hospital staff ran away soon after the building caught fire. Another resident, Mukesh Bansal, alleged an illegal oxygen refilling cylinder work was being carried out in the building.

“We had complained about it to the local councillor as well. But nothing was done. It was all happening under the nose of the police,” Mr Bansal alleged. He said he used to live next to the hospital, but due to the “illegal” work of refilling cylinders, he shifted to the next lane.

New Delhi:

At least six newborns died in a massive fire that broke out at a children’s hospital in Delhi late Saturday, officials said.

The Delhi Fire Services said it received a call about a fire at 11.32 pm at a baby care centre in the Vivek Vihar area in East Delhi, following which as many as eight fire tenders were rushed to the site.

#WATCH | Delhi: A massive fire broke out at a New Born Baby Care Hospital in Vivek Vihar

As per a Fire Officer, Fire was extinguished completely, 11-12 people were rescued and taken to hospital and further details are awaited.

(Video source – Fire Department) https://t.co/lHzou6KkHHpic.twitter.com/pE95ffjm9p

— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2024

Officials said that 12 newborns were rescued from the building but six died while getting treatment at the hospital. 

Six others, including a child who is currently on the ventilator, are getting treated at the hospital.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

In a separate incident, a fire broke out at a residential building in Delhi’s Shahdara area Saturday night.

After receiving the information, five fire brigade vehicles were rushed to the spot and 13 people were rescued and taken to a hospital, an official said.

#WATCH | Delhi: A fire broke out at a residential building in Azad Nagar West, Shahdara.

Further details awaited. pic.twitter.com/8WZbo6kPlb

— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2024

Earlier Saturday, twenty-seven people, including nine children, died in a massive fire that broke out at a gaming zone in Gujarat’s Rajkot. 

“The bodies are completely charred and it is difficult to identify them,” Assistant Commissioner of Police Vinayak Patel said. 

President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident.