AIIMS fully functional after fire

New Delhi: A day after a massive fire broke out on its premises, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences was fully functional on Sunday and all patients, who were shifted out as a precautionary measure, were taken back to their respective wards, hospital authorities said.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan reviewed the situation at the premier health facility on Sunday morning, according to a statement issued by the hospital. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia took stock of the situation in the affected part of the hospital and also enquired about the health of former Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who is admitted in the Intensive Care Unit of the cardio-neuro centre that is housed in a different building of the AIIMS complex.

The fire started around 5 pm on Saturday from the Microbiology department and thick plumes of smoke billowed from the building, triggering panic and affecting the emergency services. According to officials, 32 patients were evacuated as a precautionary measure. The fire engulfed offices in the department of surgery, urology, dermatology, microbiology and ortho and lot of research data, samples and manuscripts were destroyed, a source said.

The AIIMS administration



has initiated an internal inquiry to look into the cause of the fire and further strengthen preventive measure, the statement added. “The hospital area has not been affected by the fire and there has been no casualty. As a precautionary measure, the AIIMS administration had shifted patients from AB wing of the hospital to other areas of the hospital. These patients have been shifted back to their respective wards in the AB wing,” the statement said. The hospital, including the emergency department and emergency laboratories, is fully functional, it added.

According to Delhi Fire Service officials, the building was constructed before 1983 when construction norms came into force. The AIIMS director is holding a meeting with all heads of the departments and administrative staff to assess the situation for full restoration of laboratory services as soon as possible so that patient care does not suffer, the statement said.

Police said they were awaiting reports from the fire department and forensics that will help ascertain the cause of the fire. A case of negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter under section 285 of the IPC has been registered against unidentified persons, police said.