GUWAHATI: Dibrugarh deputy commissioner Pallav Gopal Jha has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the “fire” that broke out at Assam Medical College Hospital (AMCH) on the Sunday night.
Additional deputy commissioner, Dipu Kumar Deka has been asked to conduct the probe and submit a report within a week.
The district administration’s decision to conduct the probe was taken despite the AMCH authorities claiming to have averted a probable disaster and saved the lives of over 50 infants who were in the intensive care unit of the mother and child ward of the hospital.
The hospital authorities had detected smoke from the electrical wire above the ceiling of the ICU and immediately sprayed about 15 fire extinguishers to the affected area.
AMCH superintendent Indra Chutia had on Monday informed The Shillong Times that the smoke was probably caused by a short circuit and the situation was restored in just 10 minutes.
There were 54 newborn babies in the ICU at the time of the incident.
“The critically-ill babies were immediately shifted to the inborn ICU. One of infants admitted to the out-born ICU in a very critical condition last Thursday was under resuscitation since 9pm on Sunday but the baby expired two and half hours later. However, the infant’s passing away had nothing to do with the incident,” Chutia said.
