Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said here on Monday that there was a likelihood of an oxygen cylinder being refilled at the ground floor of the children’s hospital when the fire broke out at the health facility resulting in the death of six infants.
He said it has not yet been established whether they had a licence to refill the oxygen cylinders and whether the nursing home people were working or not.
Speaking to the media after a meeting with the Health Department officials over the fire incident, the minister said the issue of alleged refilling of oxygen cylinders is serious as it is not a normal process. There are several requirements for operating such a unit, as the oxygen cylinders have a very high pressure and in case of an accidental burst of the cylinder, the fire spreads rapidly with the said gas.
Bharadwaj also noted that the registration of the medical centre had expired in March and its renewal was pending. For this, a deficiency memo has been issued to the hospital by the concerned department.
The health minister said the owner of the hospital was running a similar facility in West Delhi’s Paschim Puri with two cases registered against him earlier, and proceedings against him are underway at the Tis Hazari and the Karkardooma Court.
The said medical facility had been registered in 2021 to operate a five-bed nursing home but was found with more than 10 beds.
Bharadwaj reiterated that the guilty won’t be spared in the matter.