Even after five months to the tragic fire incident at Bhandara government hospital that saw 10 newborn babies charred to death, the fire fighting system is yet to be installed. This was revealed when leader of opposition in state assembly Devendra Fadnavis paid a visit to the hospital to check its preparedness for treating the Covid-19 patients.
“I am told that the tenders for the firefighting system have been floated. But I am not convinced of this,” Fadnavis said after the visit. He, along with local BJP leaders, had a meeting with the acting civil surgeon to take stock of the preparedness in this pandemic. The delay is not acceptable in view of the most shocking incident, he said.
It may be recalled that the state had soon after the tragedy announced immediate installation of the fire safety equipment. Action was taken against seven health care workers including the district civil surgeon, additional civil surgeon, a medical officer and in-charge nurse. The state had to face wide criticism over the incident that sent shockwaves throughout the nation.
Speaking on the issue of Covid-19, Fadnavis said though the number of patients has reduced, the threat of Mucormycosis is still on and I have been told that the facilities for surgeries were not available. A few patients have been shifted to Nagpur and after conducting surgery they are brought back for stabilization at the Bhandara hospital.
The government machinery has to take precautions for the third wave of Covid and early diagnosis was needed to prevent its spread, said Fadnavis.