A near-disastrous incident occurred late Tuesday night at the Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College Hospital in Hazaribagh. A fire erupted in the labor room, causing panic among the approximately 40 to 50 patients present in the ward at the time. The sudden flames and smoke triggered chaos, with patients’ families scrambling in fear. Investigations revealed that the fire was caused by an incense stick lit by a patient’s relative to repel mosquitoes. Sparks from the incense are believed to have come into contact with an oxygen pipe, causing the fire to spread rapidly and fill the ward with smoke. The staff acted swiftly to move patients to safety. Thanks to the quick thinking of hospital staff and families, a major catastrophe was averted. All patients were evacuated before any harm could occur. Staff members managed to control the fire with the help of fire extinguishers.
The fire department was notified, but the fire was contained before their arrival. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries or loss of life in the incident. Upon receiving news of the fire, MP Manish Jaiswal’s representative, Ranjan Choudhary, visited the site. He inspected the scene and expressed displeasure at the hospital management’s negligence. Choudhary stated that a significant loss of life could have occurred if the staff had not acted promptly. The hospital administration has assured that they will strengthen safety measures. They also stated that special guidelines will be issued to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future, and that hospital staff will receive specialized training in emergency response.