Cuttack: Ten people lost their lives and several others remain missing after a massive fire broke out in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the trauma care centre at SCB Medical College and Hospital in the early hours of Monday. Relatives of the victims have blamed hospital negligence and staff lapses for the tragedy.
The blaze, which erupted around 2 am, left families in shock and grief. Relatives alleged that poor safety measures, delayed response, and staff negligence contributed to the scale of the disaster. Firefighters reportedly reached the hospital only after an hour, by which time crucial time to rescue patients had already been lost.
Speaking to the media, a family member of one of the deceased said, “I had admitted my maternal grandfather here ten days ago. He underwent surgery and was being treated well. I brought everything required from outside, including blood for his treatment. The doctor had said he would need a final unit of blood this morning, but then this incident happened.”
He held the hospital staff responsible for the fire. “They do not perform their duties properly. If they had, so many people would not have lost their lives,” he claimed.
He added that the staff had been negligent in their duties. “We are not allowed to carry our mobile phones, but they put theirs on charge. Such things may have caused the fire,” he said.
“We could see the smoke, but we were not allowed to go inside. Otherwise, we could have saved our patients,” he added.
Emphasising that crucial time had been wasted, he said, “We had an hour. The fire escalated after that hour, and the fire brigade arrived only after an hour.”
He also expressed his anger at the hospital’s security. “Whenever the bed number of our patient is announced, we have to listen carefully; otherwise, we are sent away. The security guards behave as if they are the Chief Minister,” he said.
The father of a victim, a resident of Balasore, said, “I was here with my son for four to five days. Yesterday evening, the doctor said he would need more units of blood.”
Breaking down, he told reporters that his son is still missing after the fire. “I still don’t know where my son is. I haven’t been able to trace him,” he said.
Appealing to the authorities to find his son, he added, “I want my son. His name is not even in the list of dead and injured. I have asked the security too, but nobody has any details about him. I appeal to the authorities to please search for my son.”
Another victim’s family member, Amitabh Rai, said his father had been admitted to the hospital with a head injury since 6 March.
“My father had been recovering well during treatment, but I lost him in last night’s fire tragedy,” he said.
About the incident, Rai added, “My mother and elder brother were here. They called me, saying a fire had broken out, and the hospital authorities were not allowing them to take the patient.”
He said his family members did not know where the authorities had taken his father. “Later, in the morning, I got to know that my father had died,” he said.
Rai also held the hospital staff responsible for the incident. “The medical staff are solely to be blamed for this tragedy. It is their responsibility to keep the patients safe during treatment,” he said.
