Newborn dies in Alwar hospital fire, two doctors suspended

Jaipur: A newborn girl died here on Wednesday after suffering severe burns at a hospital in Alwar, prompting the Rajasthan government to suspend two doctors and four other staff members of the hospital.

A newborn girl was critically injured on Tuesday when a fire broke out in the neonatal care unit of a government hospital in Alwar.

The child was admitted with 70 per cent burn injuries at Jaipur's J K Lon Hospital, where she died during treatment on Wednesday.

There were 15 infants admitted to the neonatal care unit of Geetanand Hospital in Alwar when the fire broke out in an oxygen pipeline linked to a radiant warmer around 5 am on Tuesday. The girl, who was being treated for pneumonia, suffered burns on her face, chest and shoulder, while others were rescued and shifted to other units, an official had said.

The newborn's death prompted the state government to suspend two doctors and and four staffers of the Alwar hospital and sack a private contractor.

The suspended doctors included hospital's neonatal care unit's in-charge Mahesh Sharma and one other, Kirpal Singhm, who was on duty at the unit when the fire broke out there, said Dr K K Sharma, the director of Rajasthan Medical and Health Department.