Nagpur: As a fire claimed the lives of three infants in District Women’s Hospital in Amravati on Monday, questions are being raised over the Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) operating from the third floor of the hospital building and not the ground floor as is the usual practice.Hospital in charge Dr Preeti Ingle informed that the SNCU was not part of the original building plan. “The original plan envisioned an 800-bed facility for deliveries. With time we felt the need for an SNCU. After obtaining govt permission, the SNCU started operations last year,” Dr Ingle said.When asked about the SNCU operating from the top floor of the three-storeyed hospital building, state health minister Prakash Abitkar said the panel formed to probe the fire incident will strongly investigate this aspect.SNCU wing that caught fire was reserved for infants coming in for treatment from remote areas, Dr Ingle said. “Patients referred by Achalpur and Dharni sub district hospitals were treated here. We have informed them to refer patients to Government Medical College, Nagpur, instead of sending them here. GMC, Nagpur, agreed to admit the patients,” she said.
