‘Our happiness wasn’t even a day old… they took it away’: Kin of six newborns who died in hospital blaze

Vinod and Jyoti

A resident of Jwala Nagar in Shahdara, Jyoti had given birth to her son on Saturday at 5 am at Meerut’s Lokpriya Hospital. At 10.30 am, the child was brought to Delhi and admitted to the hospital — he had a high fever. Just over 12 hours later, a deadly fire broke out at the hospital and their child was among 12 to be rescued and admitted to another facility. By Sunday morning, however, he was dead.

The couple’s relatives said they refuse to accept the deceased child as their own. “We want a DNA test,” they demanded.

No one from the hospital informed us about the fire — neither the doctor nor anyone from the centre, alleged another relative. “How can they not call us?”

Jyoti is still at the Meerut hospital recovering after the delivery — she had a caesarean. “Last year too, she lost a baby. Now this is happening again.”

“Our happiness was not even a day old and they took it away.”

Anjar Chaudhary

Anjar’s daughter was born 11 days ago in Gupta Nursing Home, Shahdara, and was directly referred to the hospital. “We were told she required ICU/ ventilator care after she inhaled the first feces, or stool, of the newborn during childbirth.”

What he was referring to is a condition called Meconium aspiration syndrome, a leading cause of severe illness and death in newborns which occurs in about 5-10% of births.

The child remained in the ICU for 12 days. On Saturday, he went to the hospital to see his daughter. “She was lying happily on that bed,” said Anjar.

He said he was unaware of the fire until Sunday morning — he only found out after a friend saw the news and called him.

Anjar earns Rs 10,000 a month. He has two other kids. For the delivery of his third child, he had spent around Rs 90,000; for the ICU services, he spent around Rs 1 lakh in the last 12 days. “We were spending around Rs 15,000 per day at the hospital,” said Anjar.

His wife doesn’t know about their child’s death, he added.

Md Masi Alam

His son was born on May 22, his second child. On Saturday, Alam said the doctor had called him and said his son could breathe on his own and would soon be removed from the ventilator.

On Sunday morning when he switched on his TV, he saw the news about the fire. Fearing the worst, he rushed to the hospital. “I was thinking my family was complete and was waiting to take my son out of the hospital… but I couldn’t take him back,” he cried.

A resident of Karawal Nagar, Masi is a labourer and paints houses in East Delhi. His son was born in Dilshad Garden’s Mangalam Hospital and was referred to the Vivek Vihar Hospital by doctors due to an infection. The family paid Rs 17,000 for a normal delivery. At the NICU centre, he was spending Rs 15,000 — his father, brothers, and workplace had helped contribute to the expense.

Raj Kumar

It was Kumar’s sister Vineeta who got his 17-day-old baby, Ruhi, admitted at the Vivek Vihar hospital two days ago, as she developed a fever, after she was born at Radha Kunj Hospital in Ghaziabad. A gardener, Kumar works in residential colonies in Ghaziabad.

On Sunday morning, he had an uneasy feeling that made him head to the hospital to see his daughter once. When he reached, all he saw was a burnt black building with parts of oxygen cylinders lying in the area. “I was shocked and started frantically looking for my daughter and doctors. I called them but their phones were not reachable,” he said.

Pawan Kasana

A teary-eyed Pawan was unable to speak as he sat outside the mortuary. He had lost his first child a year after his marriage. On Sunday, he lost his second — a girl — in the fire.

From Baghpat, Pawan is a constable in the UP Police and was on election duty till Saturday. His brother, Yogesh, an advocate, said since Pawan was busy, he got the child admitted to the hospital. “She was born on May 19 at Navjeewan Mother and Child Care Centre in Rajendra Nagar in Ghaziabad,” Yogesh said.

The delivery was normal but she had developed Meconium aspiration syndrome. As her condition deteriorated and she required a ventilator, the family moved her to the Vivek Vihar facility the same day. Yogesh said no one cared to inform them and they found out through the news.

Ritik and Nikita

Ritik (22) and Nikita’s son too was admitted at the hospital. “He was just nine days old… he was my firstborn,” said Ritik.

The child was born in Bulandshahr’s Gulaothi town in Savita Tevatia Hospital but developed a very high fever the same day. The doctors then referred him to Bulandshahr’s Sirohi Hospital. Ritik got him to the Vivek Vihar facility after hearing good reviews about it from a relative. “We were here for the last 12 days and were told our son can be taken back home on Monday… I did not know I would lose him,” he said.