Jhansi, UTTAR PRADESH :

Image Credit: PTI

Jhansi:

Yakoob Mansuri, a young man in his 20s, became a hero for several children on Friday night. However, he couldn’t save his own newborn twin daughters from a fire at the hospital.

Originally from Hamirpur, Yakoob, a food vendor, had been sleeping outside the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College. His two newborn daughters were admitted there for treatment. With his wife Nazma, Yakoob stayed at the hospital, taking turns to watch over their babies.

When the fire broke out on Friday night, Yakoob broke the glass window and rushed into the NICU to rescue as many infants as he could. Unfortunately, his twin daughters were not among those he managed to save. Their bodies were found on Saturday. Yakoob and Nazma waited outside the hospital all day, their faces reflecting deep sorrow.

Similarly, Sanjana Kumari, who had recently given birth to her first child, found her joy turn into grief. “My baby was burned to death before my eyes, and I could only watch helplessly. The hospital’s negligence destroyed my dreams. I couldn’t even hold my child,” she said, wiping away her tears.

Santoshi Devi from Jalaun, who had brought her baby to the hospital due to delivery complications, also lost her child in the chaos of the fire. She identified her baby’s body on Saturday. “I heard loud screams, but my baby was gone,” she said, overwhelmed with grief.

Just 11 days ago, she had given birth to a baby who is no longer with her. “I heard loud noises and rushed to the scene, but how could I save my child? Nobody told us what was happening,” she lamented.

Sonu and Sanjana, who had admitted their baby due to respiratory issues, also lost their child in the fire. “We were told not to feed him, so we stepped away for a while. By the time we returned, the NICU had been ravaged by the fire,” said Sanjana. “We did everything we could, but in the end, he was taken from us,” said Sonu, while his brother Parsuram recounted their struggles: “We sold everything and took loans, all in the hope that he would survive.”

Niranjan Maharaj from Lalitpur identified his grandchild’s charred body by its name tag. “The hospital staff didn’t act in time,” he alleged.

Families of the victims have accused the hospital of negligence, claiming that timely intervention could have saved lives. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the fire and lapses in safety protocols.

source: http://www.english.varthabharati.in / Vartha Bharati / Home> India / November 17th, 2024