Case registered against Dehradun private hospital after patient dies in ICU fire

The Dehradun Police on Thursday registered a criminal case against the management of Panacea Hospital following the death of a female patient in a fire at the private facility a day earlier, officials said.

The Nehru Colony police station filed the case under Section 106 (1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, based on a complaint by Sunny Pal, the son of the deceased patient Veervati Devi. The First Information Report (FIR) accuses the hospital management of causing death by negligence.

An air conditioner explosion in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) triggered the fire at the Haridwar Road hospital on Wednesday, killing Veervati Devi and injuring 10 other patients.

Three police personnel fell ill from toxic gas and smoke during the rescue operation in extreme heat conditions. The injured people and the police personnel were admitted to another hospital.

Pal, a resident of GMS Road, Kanwali village, said his mother fainted on May 19 and he admitted her to Panacea Hospital at 6 am that morning because beds were unavailable elsewhere.

He alleged that the hospital charged Rs 50,000 for tests and medicines during 10 hours of treatment.

Pal said his elder brother Kamal called him at 9 am on May 20 and informed him about the ICU fire.

His mother sustained severe burn injuries and was taken to another hospital, where doctors later declared her dead, he said.

Pal alleged that the hospital lacked adequate firefighting equipment and trained staff.

He said the hospital administration's negligence caused his mother to suffer fatal burns.

Following the incident, Uttarakhand Health Minister Subodh Uniyal ordered the Dehradun Chief Medical Officer to inspect all private hospitals.

The inspections will verify compliance with safety and operational standards. Uniyal has also ordered a magisterial enquiry into the incident.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)