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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 9:59:04 pm

Fatal Negligence

Newborns dying in a fire inside a government hospital is a devastating indictment of a system that is supposed to protect its most vulnerable patients. The Amravati District Women’s Hospital tragedy, where a blaze killed three infants, joins a long list of preventable institutional failures. Thirty-nine babies were inside the three-compartment facility when the fire erupted after a ventilator in the neonatal unit caught fire. Thirty-six were eventually rescued. Parents and eyewitnesses have...

Fatal Negligence

Newborns dying in a fire inside a government hospital is a devastating indictment of a system that is supposed to protect its most vulnerable patients. The Amravati District Women’s Hospital tragedy, where a blaze killed three infants, joins a long list of preventable institutional failures. Thirty-nine babies were inside the three-compartment facility when the fire erupted after a ventilator in the neonatal unit caught fire. Thirty-six were eventually rescued. Parents and eyewitnesses have alleged that the fire alarms did not sound and the automatic sprinklers failed to activate even as the district administration has said the hospital underwent regular fire audits and had applied for this year’s audit. An audit is meaningful only if it establishes that equipment works when lives depend on it. Maharashtra has already witnessed the deadly consequences of fire-safety failures in public hospitals. In 2021, eleven Covid-19 patients died in a fire at the Ahmednagar district hospital even though a fire audit conducted months earlier had recommended a firefighting system. The Amravati tragedy demands more than the familiar ritual of a high-level inquiry, compensation and promises of “strictest action”. The announcement of ex gratia payments cannot compensate parents who have lost a child they had barely begun to know. The investigation must establish not merely what ignited the fire, but why it was allowed to become fatal. Was the ventilator properly maintained? Were electrical and medical devices routinely inspected? Did alarms function? Were sprinklers operational? Was the NICU appropriately located and equipped for evacuation? Were staff trained and drills conducted? And most importantly, who was responsible for ensuring that every safeguard worked? There is another troubling detail: the neonatal unit was reportedly housed on the third floor, rather than at ground level, and questions have arisen over whether the unit was part of the building’s original plan. The state has built an elaborate architecture of laws and child-protection standards which seldom matches the situation on ground. Whether in government hospitals, schools or anganwadis, safety has become a box to be ticked rather than a responsibility to be lived. The most vulnerable children are consequently left dependent not on systems, but on the vigilance and heroism of individual staff members. That is an appalling way to run the childcare infrastructure of one India’s most developed states. A NICU is perhaps the worst possible place for institutional complacency: its patients are immobile, medically dependent and extraordinarily vulnerable to smoke, heat and even brief disruption of life-support equipment. The government must ensure that the Amravati deaths do not become another entry in the grim ledger of hospital tragedies followed by inquiries, outrage and forgetting. The real test will be whether the state can prevent the next newborn from dying in a hospital that was supposed to save him.

Test of Thackeray Legacy

Thackeray Legacy

Mumbai: The Mahim assembly constituency is poised for a thrilling electoral battle, as Amit Thackeray, scion of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), prepares to face off against formidable opponents. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena has nominated Sada Sarvankar, while Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) has fielded Mahesh Sawant, setting the stage for a fierce contest.


Amit, 32, has been an active party worker for the last four years. Amit’s entry into politics marks a significant milestone, as he becomes the third member of the extended Thackeray family to contest elections. He will be the second member from the Thackeray family to enter the political fray, after his cousin Aaditya Thackeray, son of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray. Aaditya won the assembly election from the Worli constituency in 2019.


The constituency encompasses the swathe from Prabhadevi to Shivaji Park to Mahim, which houses Sena Bhavan, headquarters of Shiv Sena (UBT).


Mahim’s diverse voter base, comprising upper-class Maharashtrians, cosmopolitan, and minority communities, adds complexity to the contest. The constituency has historically been a Shiv Sena or MNS stronghold since 1990, with the Shiv Sena headquarters located in the area. In 2009, MNS’s Nitin Sardesai emerged victorious in Mahim.


A senior MNS leader said that “Thackeray family has a rich legacy in Maharashtra politics, and it’s exciting to see the next generation taking the reins. Amit Thackeray, son of Raj Thackeray, has been groomed well by his father and has also toured the state independently, showcasing his commitment to politics.’’


The Mahim assembly seat has become a crucial battleground, with Amit Thackeray’s electoral debut and the legacy of the Thackeray family hanging in the balance. The outcome will have significant implications for Maharashtra’s political landscape.


MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar has made a significant appeal to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, requesting that they refrain from fielding a candidate against Amit Thackeray in the Mahim constituency. This appeal is rooted in a sense of family unity and political strategy, as evidenced by Raj Thackeray’s decision not to field a candidate against Aaditya Thackeray in Worli during the 2019 elections .


MNS Chief Raj Thackeray had decided to go in the assembly elections, but they’re still hoping for some strategic backing from the Mahayuti parties, particularly the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, in key Mumbai seats. The goal is to defeat the rival Shiv Sena (UBT). 


Although MNS had previously extended unconditional support to the Mahayuti in the Lok Sabha election, Raj Thackeray even shared the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a public meeting in Shivaji Park. This alliance could potentially give MNS a boost in the elections.


However, one of the MNS leaders said that they are being optimistic about gaining support from disgruntled BJP voters in constituencies where the local MLAs of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena have fallen out of favour. According to the MNS leader, people’s dissatisfaction with both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition MVA may drive them to choose the MNS instead. 


“Our expectations of attracting BJP voters may not be entirely far-fetched, considering the party’s ability to tap into regional sentiments and capitalize on local discontent. In the past, the MNS has successfully intervened in issues like the Jet Airways layoff controversy, securing the reinstatement of employees,” he said. 


The MNS has finalised a list of around 175 assembly seats in the 288-member house where it can field its candidates, and the party chief is likely to decide on the final tally, he adds.


“We are counting on informal support from the Shiv Sena and BJP in Bhandup, a constituency where they lack a strong candidate to challenge Ramesh Korgaonkar, now representing the Shiv Sena. This move comes after MNS extended unconditional support to the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance in Maharashtra ahead of the Lok Sabha 2024 elections,” he said.

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