AC catches fire in SCB, patients safe

CUTTACK: Around 12 patients at the central ICU of SCB Medical College and Hospital here had a narrow escape when thick plumes of smoke from an air-conditioner (AC) filled the room in the ground floor late on Thursday.
The patients were pushed to the adjoining step-down room before the situation could be brought under control.
As mediapersons have been banned from entering SCB, there was little scope to know the condition of patients.Hospital emergency officer B N Moharana, however, said patients were not affected.
"The incident took place around 12.15 am. Power supply to the ICU was immediately stopped and windowpanes were broken to let the smoke out. All patients were quickly shifted to a nearby room and brought back within an hour," said Moharana.
The incident exposes SCB's ill-preparedness to deal with fire mishaps. In 2013, a fire mishap was reported in the plastic surgery ward. The year before a similar incident due to suspected short circuit had taken place in the ICU of neurosurgery ward.
SCB despite being the state's biggest referral hospital with 25 departments and 1,750 beds has no fire-fighting equipment worth the name.
In 2011, after the AMRI Hospital fire tragedy in Kolkata in which 90 people were killed, a 20-member team from the fire department had examined the hospital and found serious lacunae.
The team in its report among others had suggested to install smoke detectors, fire alarms, water sprinklers and automatic fire extinguisher system in the ICUs, operation theatres and trauma unit and also check the electric wiring in the hospital. But nothing has been done yet, sources said.
"Luckily, the smoke was noticed at the right time. What if the fire spread," asked Jagat Kishore Mohanty, a patient's relative.
SCB superintendent Pratap Rath said, "Proposal for installation of fire-fighting system has been submitted to the government."