- The burn ward at Hamidia Hospital suffers from non-functional air conditioning amid intense summer heat
- Patients with severe burns rely on coolers, ice, and manual fanning due to lack of proper temperature control
- Non-functional AC units in the burn OT force surgeries to be done with ordinary air coolers, risking infection
The moment our cameraperson and I stepped into the burn ward of Hamidia Hospital, the sweat began to trickle down our backs.
Within minutes, the air felt heavy, sticky and suffocating. The humidity wrapped around us like a blanket. If standing there for ten minutes felt unbearable, one question haunted us: How are patients with 70 to 90 per cent burns surviving here for days and weeks?
This is not a small district hospital struggling with resources. This is Hamidia Hospital, Madhya Pradesh's largest government hospital and one of the state's premier referral centres, where the most critical burn victims from across the state are brought for treatment.
Yet, in the middle of a brutal Bhopal summer, the burn ward resembles a furnace.
The air conditioners in the ICU, Operation Theatre and patient wards have been lying defunct for months. In a ward where temperature control can mean the difference between recovery and infection, patients are being forced to depend on air coolers, blocks of ice and hand-held cardboard fans.
As we walked through the ward, the cries of patients echoed through the corridors.
Some writhed in pain. Others lay motionless under thin sheets, their bodies wrapped in bandages. Relatives sat beside them, manually fanning them in a desperate attempt to provide relief.
For burn victims, heat is not merely uncomfortable. It can be dangerous. Mohammad Ishaq's brother was severely burned in a workplace accident and is currently admitted to the ward.
Ishaq pointed towards the non-functional AC units. "There are no fans, no proper cooling and the AC isn't working. All patients are suffering. Initially, we used cardboard sheets to fan him manually. Later, we brought two coolers and ice from home. We had to buy everything ourselves," he said.
His voice carried both anger and helplessness. "My brother was burnt while working. The room feels like a furnace."
Several attendants told NDTV that they were arranging coolers, ice and even extension cords themselves because patients could not tolerate the heat.
What is happening inside the Operation Theatre is even more alarming. The burn OT's air-conditioning system is also non-functional. As a result, surgeries are reportedly being conducted with ordinary air coolers placed inside the operating theatre. In the ICU, patients with burns covering up to 90 per cent of their bodies are being treated with coolers as their primary source of temperature control. Medical experts say this is far from ideal.
Burn patients are among the most vulnerable patients in any hospital. Once the skin is damaged, the body's natural protective barrier disappears. Bacteria, fungi and viruses can directly enter exposed tissues. This is precisely why Burn ICUs and Burn OTs are designed as high-sterility zones.
National Medical Commission (NMC) and NABH standards require controlled temperatures, humidity regulation, filtered air systems and positive-pressure ventilation in such facilities. Coolers do the exact opposite. They circulate large volumes of unfiltered air and increase moisture levels, creating conditions where infection can spread more easily. For a severely burnt patient, that risk can be fatal.
What makes the situation even more disturbing is that doctors had been warning authorities for months.
Official documents accessed by NDTV reveal that the department has written multiple letters and reminders to authorities since June 2025, seeking urgent installation and servicing of AC units in the newly established burn ward. Despite repeated correspondence, the work remains incomplete.
A second document, marked as a "final reminder" and issued on October 16, 2025, paints a similar picture. In that communication, the Head of the Burn and Plastic Surgery Department informed authorities that five AC units had remained non-functional for nearly five months, severely impacting operations in the burn OT and treatment of patients with extensive burn injuries.
The warnings continued. In another communication dated May 26, 2026, the department informed authorities that 11 AC units had remained non-functional for nearly eight months.
The department specifically warned that surgeries were being affected and patient care was suffering because maintaining controlled temperatures in burn wards is medically essential.
The letters reveal repeated requests, reminders, follow-ups and work orders. What they do not reveal is any meaningful action.
Dr Arun Bhatnagar, Head of the Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery, said the funds for electrical work have already been sanctioned. According to him, the project is stuck between multiple departments. The Public Works Department wants certain electrical work completed before the installation of outdoor units, while other administrative processes remain pending.
