A father’s hope cut short as fire incident at RIMS claims newborn daughter in Telangana’s Adilabad

Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha inspects the fire accident site at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Adilabad on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: ARRANGEMENT

Salim Khan of Ichoda had hoped his five-day-old preterm daughter would recover and return home. But the late-night fire on Monday at the Special Neonatal Care Unit (SNCU) of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Adilabad turned that hope into grief.

He had hoped to take her home after her recovery, even as his wife was recovering in the maternity ward of another hospital in the town following a Caesarean section.

His daughter was among three infants who died after reportedly inhaling smoke following the fire, which reportedly broke out after an air-conditioner caught fire.