Two-month-old boy burnt in Mumbai hospital fire passes away

A two-month-old cardiac patient Prince Pannelal Rajbhar, who had suffered burns in an accident at King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital on 7th November, succumbed to his injuries today morning.

Mumbai: A two-month-old boy, who had sustained severe injuries in a fire in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a municipal hospital here, died of cardiac arrest in the early hours of Friday.

Prince Rajbhar sustained serious burn injuries in the fire at the KEM Hospital on November 6, after which, his left arm was amputated.

"Prince was put on maximum ventilator support and his condition deteriorated on Thursday night. He suffered a cardiac arrest at 2.30 am on Friday, and could not be revived," the official said.

The baby suffered from a congenital heart ailment and was brought to the city from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh for treatment.

On November 13, Prince's father Pannilal Rajbhar filed a complaint at Bhoiwada police station, following which a case of negligence under section 338 of the Indian Penal Code was registered against the hospital staff.

Earlier this week, the boy's parents met Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner Praveen Pardeshi.

The BMC offered a compensation of Rs 5 lakh, which was rejected by the parents who sought long-term rehabilitation.

Stung by criticism from various quarters, the civic body on Wednesday doubled the compensation it had previously offered Prince Rajbhar's family to Rs 10 lakh.

At the group leaders' meeting, it was also decided to frame a comprehensive compensation policy for victims of BMC's negligence.

Ravi Raja, opposition leader in the BMC, said the issue of compensation was on the agenda of the group leaders meeting, where almost everyone unanimously thought the sum of Rs 5 lakh was meagre.

"Prince's life has been ruined due to negligence on part of BMC. We wanted a sum that will help him survive," he said.