Rajasthan: SMS Hospital Fire Tragedy: 8 Patients Dead in Jaipur Trauma Center Blaze

Eight patients have tragically died in a devastating fire that broke out in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital's Trauma Center in Jaipur on Sunday late night. The deceased include three women, while the incident occurred around 11:20 PM in the store room of the Neuro ICU ward, where paper, ICU equipment, and blood sampler tubes were stored.

Short Circuit Suspected as Cause

Families Allege Negligence

The nodal officer of the Trauma Center and a senior doctor stated that a short circuit is the suspected cause of the fire. At the time of the incident, 11 patients were in the affected ICU, while 13 patients were in the adjacent ICU. Fire department official Avdhesh Pandey reported that upon reaching the scene, the entire ward was filled with smoke, making it impossible to enter, while firefighters had to break windows from the other side of the building to douse the flames. It took approximately 1 to 1. 5 hours to bring the fire under control, and all patients were shifted to the street along with their beds. Families of the victims have accused the hospital administration of gross negligence. Sheru from Bharatpur stated that smoke began emanating 20 minutes before. The fire escalated, and despite informing the staff, no one paid attention. He further alleged that ward boys fled the scene, forcing him to struggle to rescue his own patient. Following the incident, several relatives of patients staged a protest outside the SMS Trauma Center, blocking the main road and demanding action against the responsible authorities. They claimed that negligence led to the loss of lives and that no accurate information about the patients was being provided.

Former CM Demands High-Level Inquiry

Dr. Anurag Dhakad, the nodal officer of the Trauma Center, mentioned that six patients were trapped inside due to the escalating fire and the highly toxic gas, which Notably hampered rescue efforts, while former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has demanded a high-level inquiry by the state government into the SMS Hospital fire incident. He wrote on social media platform X, urging the government to ensure that such incidents don't recur in the future, while the death toll rose to 8 after another patient, Digambar Verma, succumbed to his injuries during treatment.