Kerala man's family says he died due to negligence during the fire at the Ramaiah hospital in Bengaluru and claims cover-up by officials. Though cops confirm the death, hospital staff claim everyone was safely evacuated.
Published Sep 19, 2024 | 11:13 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 19, 2024 | 11:13 PM
The deceased Sujay Panicker and the smoke from Ramaiah Medical College Hospital
In a tragic turn of events, a 34-year-old man from Kerala, Sujay Panicker lost his life on Thursday, 19 September after a fire broke out in MS Ramaiah Medical College Hospital in Bengaluru.
Sujay, who is from Punalur in Kerala’s Kollam was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital when the tragedy struck. The hospital, known for its state-of-the-art facilities, has come under scrutiny as the deceased’s family alleged his death was due to hospital negligence and also accused the administration of deliberately trying to cover up the incident.
He was reportedly undergoing treatment for a severe lung-related illness (pneumonia) and a respiratory infection for the last 19 days and was on ECMO support. Sujay’s family has alleged that he succumbed to his injuries due to the delay in shifting him from Ramaiah Hospital ICU to another hospital.
The fire, which erupted in the ICU, was reportedly caused by a short circuit and the family claims that, amid the chaos during the fire, the hospital administration delayed transferring the victim.
While hospital authorities remain tight-lipped about the fatality, a senior police official in Bengaluru confirmed to South First that the death was reported while the patient was being shifted.
A tragic incident occurred at M S Ramaiah Medical College in Mathikere today, where a fire broke out in the ICU, resulting in the death of 34-year-old Sujay Panicker from Punalur, Kollam.
Sujay had been receiving treatment in the ICU for respiratory issues at the time of the… pic.twitter.com/9WTUzK47lT
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) September 19, 2024
According to Sujay’s family, who reside in Kerala, the hospital staff did not act swiftly to evacuate him from the ICU when the fire broke out. Addressing the media, the family also claimed that the hospital is attempting to cover up the tragedy.
One of Sujay’s cousins told the media, “Sujay was an accountant at a private firm in Bengaluru. He had been receiving treatment for more than two weeks due to pneumonia and a respiratory infection.”
He alleged that the fire broke out around 1 pm in the ICU and that his cousin died due to suffocation from the fire. “It is evident that there was a delay in the process of shifting patients. We will soon file a formal complaint,” he added.
Senior police officer, speaking on conditions of anonymity, confirmed Sujay Panicker’s death to South First, contradicting the hospital’s statement to the media. Ramaiah hospital had claimed that there were three patients at the ICU and all three, along with other patients admitted to various wards of the hospital were shifted safely without any injuries or hassles.
Speaking to the media, Dr Srinivas Murthy, CEO of MS Ramaiah Medical College Hospital said that, around 1.15 pm on Thursday, a fire broke out in the ICU on the third floor of the hospital.
The staff in the floor immediately switched on the sprinklers to doze off the fire and started shifting the patients immediately and fire tenders stationed at the hospital began rescuing at the same time, said Dr Srinivas.
While the staff were evacuated from the building by breaking the glass windows and cutting of electricity to half of the hospital, patients in the ICU were immediately moved to Ramaiah teaching hospital.
Senior cardiologist Dr Anupama, who was incharge of the ICU told media, “there were three patients in the ICU and all of them were moved safely without any issues.”
Meanwhile, the Ramaiah hospital administration has so far refrained from issuing a formal statement about the death, only acknowledging that a minor fire accident occurred, which was quickly brought under control.
The discrepancy between the hospital’s official stance and the police’s confirmation has only fueled the family’s claims of a cover-up. Meanwhile, police officials said that there has been no formal complaint from the family so far.
(Edited by Neena with inputs from Chetana Belagere and Sreelakshmi S)
