Nine workers critical, survival chances bleak

NAGPUR: As many as nine of the 20 workers, who sustained burn injuries in the massive fire at

Nitika Pharmaceutical

, are in a critical condition. Doctors said the chances of survival of these workers are bleak, which may increase the death toll in the case that stands at one.

Altogether 20 workers, all belonging to poor families and aged between 20 and 30 years, suffered severe burn injuries in the fire that broke out at 9pm on Friday. Sandip Pankule (28), who was brought to IGMCH in the most serious condition with 98% burns, died at 3pm.

19 of them were admitted to Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and

Hospital

(IGMCH) and one at

Orange City Hospital and Research Institute

(OCHRI). Later, 12 patients were shifted to OCHRI for treatment due to poor services at IGMCH, while two others were taken to a private hospital.

Dr Sunil Lanjewar, surgery department head at IGMCH, said, “Facial burn and respiratory damage is the most common condition noticed in most of the patients. All such patients are giving out black sputum, which suggests excessive exposure to soot.”

“Initially, IGMCH admitted nine severely injured patients to the burn ward, while 10 others were taken to the general ward,” Dr SP Manjrekar, medical superintendent at IGMCH.

According to the data provided by the hospital, 11 patients have suffered more than 50% burns and are in a serious condition. Only three patients have received minor injuries, while two others have suffered more 90% burns, including Pankule. Among the patients with minor injuries. Dyaneshwar Thakre is the only one who hasn’t received any burns. He was bought to the hospital with some abdominal injury and will be discharged on Sunday evening.

During the afternoon, the families of patients at the burn ward started complaining about the hospital for its poor facility. Within a few hours, several 108 ambulances lined up inside the IGMCH premises and 14 patients were shifted to private hospitals.

Manjrekar said, “The relatives took the patients’ discharge against medical advice.”

As soon as divisional commissioner Anup Kumar visited the hospital to see the patients, their relatives became extremely demanding all of a sudden, a professor from the college said.

Maternal uncle of Mohd Zafar (20), who suffered 77% burn injuries, said, “Most of the medicines and injections needed for my nephew are not available here. The doctors are not attending to the patients properly. Hence, we insisted to shift all the severely injured patients to private hospital.”

Among the 12 patients at OCHRI, nine were in critical condition, while three others are reported to be stable. But the percentage of burn in all the patients claimed by OCHRI was reportedly less than the data provided by IGMCH.

Mansoor Khan, former corporator of the area where the factory is located, also raised his voice against poor facilities at IGMCH. He said, “All the people who have suffered in this incident are paying for something they haven’t committed. All of them are poor. Hence, the government should bear all the medical expenses.”