Delhi newborn hospital blaze: Illegal oxygen filling happened at hospital

New Delhi: In the wake of the Vivek Vihar hospital fire tragedy, the Delhi government has directed all state-run and private health facilities to conduct a fire audit, even as several safety lapses have come to light at the neonatal hospital with police also investigating why 27 oxygen cylinders were kept there.

Five of the oxygen cylinders had exploded during the deadly blaze on Saturday night in which six newborns were killed and five injured.

Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Monday said it had been learnt that oxygen refilling was being carried out at the hospital and stressed that it is illegal for a hospital to have a refilling system since it can lead to fire.

A delegation of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), which visited the site, said that emergency exits were absent in the hospital building, fire extinguishers were nonfunctional and there was a lack of operational fire alarms and water sprinkler systems.

According to an FIR, there were a total of 27 oxygen cylinders found lying inside and outside the premises of the hospital building when the police officials inspected the spot following the incident. Five of them had burst.

Police said that the private neonatal hospital was operating despite the expiry of its licence on March 31. It also did not have qualified doctors. (PTI)