AMRI Hospital Tragedy

The blood curdling scenes of people jumping to death from Stephen court building engulfed in devastating fire in a desperate bid to save their lives are still fresh in our memory.Then we thought administration and people as well would take lesson from this macabre story and try to ensure such an incident does never occur.But we were totally wrong and AMRI Hospital tragedy has proved it in no uncertain terms.Instances of death toll of such magnitude in hospital fire are quite rare even in other parts of the world.Here at AMRI patients were not burnt to death,they were suffocated to death in smoke that fire generated.More than ninety lives were lost.Patients who were critically ill or orthopedically handicapped fell easy prey to fire.Fire reportedly broke out at the basement where combustible and inflammable subtances were allegedly stored.Smoke bellowed up through the ducts of centrally air-conditioning system and filled the rooms of the patients. Glass pans of the building were so tightly sealed accumulated smoke could not go out.Nor was there any device to let out the gas in case of emergency.Fire or smoke alarm did not buzz either.

Other private or govt hospitals in the city are reportedly no better than AMRI so far as the safety and security are concerned.Most of them flout fire safety norms, let alone provide proper arrangement to evacuate the patients in case the situation so demands.Conditions of govt hospitals are even worse.In fact, these hospitals too deserve the cancellation of permission for being run in this abjectly indifferent way.One wonders how the men in administration have turned a blind eye to the blatant and criminal lapses perptrated by the hospital authorities for years together.So they too are no less guilty than the callous managerial staff of AMRI for this most painful human tragedy.

What's most unfotunate and certain too is the flurry of activities now being shown by the administration to ensure that such a tragedy is not ever repeated in future would gradually die down and things would be back to square one till another such incident occures that would awaken the adminstration to embark upon some knee jerk measures again.