Nine more trustees of Welfare Hospital held in Gujarat

SURAT: Seven trustees of Bombay Patel Welfare Society were arrested by Bharuch police on Saturday in connection with the fire at Welfare Hospital. Earlier, two other trustees were nabbed on May 15. The arrested trustees include office-bearers.
Although the FIR registered by cops on May 12 had named only president Dr Khalid Patel as accused, others too were held responsible for the mishap that claimed 18 lives on May 1. Besides Khalid, vice-president Faruk Ibrahim Patel, general secretary Zuber Patel, treasurer Salim Patel, Ahmed Ruwala, Faruk Abdullah Patel, Habib Patel, Mohammed Faruq Patel and Suhel Dalal have been made accused.
Police said that the president alone cannot be held responsible for the incident as the entire board of trustees manages the trust. “We checked the details and records of the trust available with the charity commissioner and found that as per the rules all are responsible,” said deputy superintendent of police M P Bhojani.
Later, all accused were presented before a local court that granted them conditional bail.
Sparks in a ventilator had caused a fire in the ICU unit of the Covid building of the hospital on May 1. Sixteen Covid-infected patients from Bharuch, Vadodara and Surat and two trainee nurses had died of burn injuries and asphyxiation.
The hospital authorities had shifted the treatment of Covid patients to the new building without any permission.
The building did not have usage permission from the civic body, NOC of the fire department nor any fire-fighting equipment that could control the flames at primary stage.