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.