Vijayawada fire accident: Three private hospital officials arrested for culpable homicide

Andhra Pradesh police have arrested three officials of Ramesh Hospitals, including the chief operating officer, for the fire accident in a COVID-facility run by the private hospital which has claimed 10 lives in Vijayawada on Sunday. The state government has fixed accountability at the top-most level for neglecting the pertinent needs of electrical repairs which could have been instrumental in averting the accident.

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Details of the accused: 

1.Dr Kodali Raja Gopala Rao- Chief operating officer of Ramesh Hospitals Ltd who gave the requisition on behalf of Ramesh Hospitals Ltd to the collector for permission to start paid COVID care centre and on whose name the permission was issued by the DMHO.

2.Dr Kurapati Sudarshan- General manager, Vijayawada- Overall Incharge of the Swarna Palace which was converted into a COVID Care Centre. 

3. Pallabothu Venkatesh -Night manager of Swarna Palace from Ramesh Hospitals Ltd who slept in the restaurant instead of being alert. Had he been alert, the damage might have been mitigated.

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A committee led by joint collector L Siva Shankar has been tasked with the responsibility executing an administrative enquiry into the accident to determine whether the accident or the damage caused by the same could be evaded if the authorities had been more diligent. The committee has been asked to submit a report within 48 hours. Two state-level committees have also been constituted. One from the state health department which will be headed by the CEO of Arogyasri and director of medical education. They will be assisted by the home department to study fire issues.

It is important to note that the permission to convert the private hotel (Swarna) into a COVID facility was accorded to Ramesh Hospital based on the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in April 2020 which clearly said that,

"The COVID Care Centres are makeshift facilities. These maybe setup in hostels, hotels, schools, stadiums,lodges both public and private." The letter according to permission to the private hospital to make this facility at Swarna Hotel operational, clearly states that the management has agreed to follow all the government guidelines issued concerning the same.

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While investigating the accident and all relevant angles concerning the same, the incident commander and tahsildar of Vijayawada Central unearthed some major lapses from the hospital management’s end. In a complaint to the SHO, Governorpet, the tahsildar has clearly stated that,

"It appears that Hotel Swarna Palace and Ramesh Hospitals had knowledge that there were electrical defects in the lodge, and as rectification of defects involved huge amounts, avoided the repairs." The complaint also says, "Knowing the fact that if the defects were not rectified there was a possibility of a shortage of electricity, they opened the Covid-19 centre at the Swarna hotel."

The complaint further goes onto incriminate the hospital authorities when it says, "The incident occurred because of the hotel and hospital managements not taking  the necessary precautions and preventive measures, resulting in the death of 10 citizens."

It was based on this complaint from the tahsildar that the police booked a case against the managements of Swarna Hotel and Ramesh Hospitals under sections 304 (II), 308 r/w 34 of IPC.  Within 24 hours of an FIR being lodged, on Monday, the local police arrested three top-rank officials of the hospital who are directly responsible for ensuring that the safety of patients being treated at the facility is taken care of.

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