Baby Girl Burns To Death In UP Hospital, Staff Informs Father 5 Hours Later

A newborn girl died after a fire broke out inside a neonatal warmer at a private hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur. The tragedy occurred at Raja Nursing Home in the Brahm Nagar area of the city. The facility is operated by Dr Vivek Mishra. 

According to the family and local officials, the infant was placed inside a warmer in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) shortly after birth on Sunday, when a short circuit allegedly caused the equipment to catch fire.

The baby, just hours old, sustained severe burn injuries and died soon afterwards.

The child was the firstborn of Arun Nishad and his wife Bittu, residents of Bakarganj in Kanpur. Family members said the delivery had taken place earlier that day and both mother and baby were initially reported to be stable.

Relatives described an atmosphere of celebration. The birth of a girl had been welcomed by the family. However, within hours, that sense of joy gave way to shock.

According to accounts provided by the family, the newborn was placed inside a warmer machine in the NICU for routine monitoring and temperature stabilisation. Such warmers are commonly used in neonatal care to help regulate a newborn's body temperature.

On Sunday evening, a short circuit is said to have occurred in the machine. The electrical fault allegedly triggered a fire inside the warmer unit. The flames spread quickly, and by the time hospital staff and attendants became aware of the situation, the infant had suffered critical burn injuries.

She could not be saved.

The incident took a further turn when the family accused the hospital administration of attempting to conceal the matter.

According to Arun Nishad, hospital staff did not immediately inform the family of the fire. He has alleged that for nearly four to five hours, the true nature of the incident was withheld. It was only when he insisted on seeing his daughter that he was informed about what had happened.

Family members claim that they were initially given vague explanations about the baby's condition before being told of the burns and subsequent death.

Hospital authorities have not publicly responded in detail to the allegations. There has been no formal statement from Dr Vivek Mishra yet. 

The NICU and ICU units of the hospital have since been sealed pending investigation. Officials said hospital records and relevant documents were seized during the inspection.

A three-member inquiry team has been constituted and directed to submit its report within 24 hours. 

News of the infant's death spread quickly in the locality. On Monday, angry relatives and supporters gathered outside the hospital. Parts of the facility were vandalised during the protest.

Police were deployed to bring the situation under control. Officials said they are also reviewing footage from inside the hospital and nearby areas as part of the probe. 

The family has called for the entire hospital to be shut down permanently.

(With inputs from Arun Agarwal)