NEW DELHI: The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of Delhi has initiated an investigation into the registration and regulatory management of all private hospitals and nursing homes in the city following a deadly fire at a neonatal hospital in Vivek Vihar that resulted in the deaths of seven newborns, officials said on Friday.
In the past 48 hours, ACB teams have inspected 40 private medical facilities in east Delhi and discovered anomalies in some of them.
According to the officials, the ACB has assembled four teams led by inspector-level officers for this task, and it might take a few weeks to cover all private medical facilities in the national capital.
The officials said at least 15 hospitals and nursing homes, which were inspected, are located in Vivek Vihar and its nearby areas. Six newborns died in the fire at the Baby Care New Born Hospital in Vivek Vihar on May 25. Among the five injured children rescued from the hospital, one died during treatment on Friday.
On Tuesday, Delhi LG V K Saxena ordered a comprehensive anti-corruption probe into the incident, highlighting “sheer mismanagement, criminal neglect, and connivance of health department officials” in granting and renewing nursing home registrations. Dr Naveen Khichi, owner of the Vivek Vihar hospital, was arrested for violating fire safety norms, with the hospital operating beyond capacity and its license expired since March 31.
ACB officials are inspecting documents and registration certificates of hospitals and nursing homes, also investigating government officials’ roles in allowing unregistered facilities to operate. They have contacted the Directorate General of Health Service (DGHS) for details on their field inspection process when issuing licenses.