Ujjain: Fire in hospital, patients moved out

A fire broke out in a private hospital in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain city on Sunday but a major tragedy was averted as the patients lodged there were shifted to other medical facilities in time, officials said, adding four patients were affected.

District Collector Ashish Singh said four patients were “affected” due to the smoke and the condition of two of them is critical, following which they were referred to Indore for further treatment.

A total of 80 patients, including 62 infected by coronavirus, were being treated at the Patidar Hospital when the blaze erupted around noon.

Singh said all the patients were shifted to other hospitals after the rescue.

Additional Superintendent of Police Amrendra Singh said the fire was later brought under control.

Some patients felt uneasy because of smoke in the premises due to the blaze and they were taken to other nearby hospitals, the official said.

The critically ill patients under treatment were shifted to the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of other hospitals, he said.

The cause of the fire was not yet known and further investigation is underway, he added.

Altogether 12 patients were being treated in the ICU of the hospital at the time of the fire.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the expenses for the treatment of the critical patients will be borne by the government, as per the collector. The Tribune