CHENNAI: A newborn suffered serious burn injuries after a neonatal warmer allegedly caught fire at a Greater Chennai Corporation maternity hospital in Purasaiwalkam on Saturday.
The infant boy has been shifted to the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children in Egmore, where doctors said the next 24 hours are critical.
According to the child’s father, the baby was delivered through a C-section around 12.38 pm. Within minutes, the infant was placed in a warmer to regulate body temperature. That was when the incident occurred.
Speaking to DT Next, the father said while they were waiting outside the ward, they noticed hospital staff suddenly rushing into the neonatal room. "About five to ten minutes after the baby was born, I saw two-three people running inside. Someone mentioned there was a fire."
A short while later, family members were called inside and showed the baby, who was wrapped in cloth with ointment applied on the head. "They told us there had been a fire accident. First they said there was an electrical short circuit, later they said an oxygen machine had burst and there was a gas leak," he claimed.
"Around 1.15 pm, an ambulance arrived and only after that did they inform us that the baby was being shifted to the Egmore hospital," he said.
Doctors at the hospital have placed the newborn under intensive monitoring, with vital parameters being closely observed. "They say pulse and blood pressure are not stable and have asked for 24 to 48 hours before they can say anything definite," the father said.
Hospital entry has since been restricted to outsiders. Attempts to reach doctors and GCC officials for comments were unsuccessful.
The father alleged that hospital staff gave conflicting explanations about the cause of the fire and sought action over the incident. A complaint has been lodged at the Vepery police station, and police have begun an inquiry into the incident.