Not a national news, says Maha Health Minister as 13 Covid patients die in fire mishap

New Delhi/Mumbai: Altogether 54 people have lost lives in Maharashtra in the last few months in major fire mishaps in hospitals and malls. Of them several are children and worse, 35 are Covid19 patients. A fire in a private hospital in Virar area in Mumbai killed 13 Covid-19 patients, adding to the challenges of spiralling pandemic cases in Maharashtra, country’s richest and most industrialized state.

The accident on Friday, April 23 in Vijay Vallabh Hospital comes two days after 22 Covid-19 patients died after an oxygen leak led to a drop in air pressure to ventilators at a hospital in Nashik. The Friday fire started around 3.30 am due to a short-circuit in the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU),said Vivekanand Kadam, a senior officer in Mumbai’s Disaster Control Cell.

Thanks to the utter callousness of the Maharashtra government, Covid-19 patients in Mumbai and other places in Shiv Sena-led Aghadi government ruled are not only battling the killer virus but also have to fight the system.

In most cases, patients are left helpless and the kin are found wailing inconsolably.

Mumbai, a city of 12 million people, is India’s commercial and cash-rich entertainment capital. The metropolis is known for its cramped living quarters and congested workplaces and public places because of the overwhelming presence of its working-class – middle class and poor – from all across the country.

“Mumbai’s buildings including malls and hospitals often face these fire mishaps. No actions are taken. Often it is found the mandatory fire safety norms are not adhered to,” said one Mumbai resident, Rahul Malakar. Nine people died in March in a fire that lasted for 42 hours in a Mumbai mall.

In another tragedy, 10 infants died at a Bhandara hospital in rural Maharashtra in January after a fire broke out at a newborn care unit. Maharashtra has recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases and fatalities in India. It reported 67,013 new cases and 568 deaths on April 23 morning hours. There have been as many as 4.09 million cases and a total death of 67,013.

With 333,000 new cases adding daily, India has topped the world in the number of cases this week. India has reported more than 16 million cases and nearly 187,000 deaths since the infection began to spread early last year.

It is now only second to the US in number of cases which tops the global chart with 570,000 deaths and 32 million total cases. Displaying utter insensitivity, Maharashtra Minister Health Minister Rajesh Tope said, “We will take care of everyone…though it is not a national news”.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged party workers to assist all those in need and appealed to the state government to provide all necessary assistance.

Congress, which criticizes the Modi-led government in the centre to check the pandemic’s spread, is a key partner in the coalition government headed by Shiv Sena. Sharad Pawar-led NCP is another key stakeholder.