One month after Vivek Vihar hospital fire tragedy, nightmare continues for parents

Suman Kumari froze in fear and collapsed, making a loud thud while her husband Madhuraj Kumar sprinted frantically to Vivek Vihar’s Baby Care New Born Hospital on May 26, the day TV channels broke the news of a massive fire tragedy at the facility.

Their baby was among the 12 newborn children who were admitted there due to birth-related complications. While one of them died before the fire started on the night of May 25, seven were charred to death in the incident.

The Ghaziabad-based couple’s baby boy was among the four lucky children who survived the tragedy. Mr. Kumar said the locals had told him on the way to the hospital that the children were rescued and admitted to another medical facility nearby the ill-fated facility.

“By the time I reached there, the list of survivors had got shorter and the lobby of the hospital was filled with wailing people,” he said, remembering the fateful day.

“Till the moment the man in the reception did not read out my wife’s name from his small notepad while informing about the survivors, I didn’t know if my child was alive or dead,” he said.

His child was then shifted to Swami Dayanand Hospital in Dilshad Garden and treated there for over a week.

Health implications

Now, the child is taken every week to the hospital for the examination of his hearing ability, eyesight and lung-related problems caused due to the fire incident. 

Mithilesh Kumar and his wife Richa said  twins were born to them after 15 years of their marriage but their daughter died allegedly due to a doctor’s negligence.

The couple had admitted their surviving child to the Vivek Vihar hospital for the treatment of breathing-related issues after borrowing a hefty amount from their relatives. “The baby boy faced breathing difficulties. After we lost our daughter on the day of their birth, we were desperate to save him. So, despite the hospital fee of ₹7,000 a day, we admitted him to the facility,” said the courier agent, who has now named his child Agniveer (fire warrior).

Rakesh and Karishma’s child is still battling it out at Swami Dayanand Hospital. “Our baby was born two months premature due to which he was admitted to the ill-fated facility,” said Mr. Rakesh.

Despite surviving the blaze, the child is still days away from being discharged from the Dilshad Garden hospital. While the parents are still worried about their child, they want justice for those who lost their babies in the fire.