Tragic Fire at Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh Hospital Claims Six Lives Amid Staff Negligence Allegations

Families reported having to evacuate patients as hospital personnel abandoned their posts during the fire incident

Jaipur:

Patients at Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh Hospital experienced a catastrophic night when fire erupted in the trauma center of the government facility on Sunday.

The extensive fire, believed to have originated from a short circuit in the intensive care unit (ICU), claimed the lives of six out of eleven patients receiving treatment there. The flames rapidly spread to an adjacent ward, causing widespread panic among patients and their relatives.

Several families claimed they had alerted hospital staff about smoke, but were dismissed with assurances that it was "normal." They further alleged that no fire alarm activated and fire extinguishers were unavailable.

According to family accounts, they had to evacuate patients themselves as hospital staff fled the scene during the fire emergency.

Patients were transported on stretchers outside the facility where they waited approximately one hour on the roadside before ambulances arrived.

"Complete chaos ensued when the fire broke out. We quickly rescued our patient," one family member recounted.

A ward attendant present during the incident stated that he and colleagues rescued as many individuals as possible before the fire intensified.

"We were in the operating theatre when we heard about the fire, prompting us to immediately rush to save people inside the center. We successfully rescued three to four patients. However, as flames intensified, entering the building became impossible. We made every effort to save as many as we could," he explained.

He mentioned that police arrived later but were initially unable to enter the facility due to heavy smoke conditions.

#WATCH | Jaipur, Rajasthan | A massive fire broke out in an ICU ward of Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital, claiming the lives of six patients

The deceased have been identified as Pintu from Sikar, Dilip and Bahadur from Jaipur, Shrinath, Rukmini, and Khurma -- all from Bharatpur.

Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, who inspected the trauma center this morning, has established a high-level committee to investigate the incident.

The investigation committee will be led by Iqbal Khan, commissioner of the Medical Education Department.