Smoke at Kozhikode Medical College: hospital denies deaths due to inhalation

Kozhikode: A controversy has emerged regarding the deaths of five patients at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, following a short circuit in the UPS storage room near the casualty department.

At approximately 8 p.m. on Friday, smoke was detected emanating from the UPS room by the Casualty department authorities.

While officials maintain that no fatalities resulted from smoke inhalation, Congress legislator from Wayanad, T. Siddique, asserted that three patients succumbed after inhaling the smoke.

The Kozhikode district authorities have sealed the ward where smoke was detected to facilitate a detailed investigation into the cause of the short circuit.

Following the incident, hospital officials began relocating patients from the casualty department.

According to hospital authorities, four patients had passed away before the smoke emerged, while the fifth patient was brought in already deceased.

However, Wayanad legislator T. Siddique disputed this claim, stating that three patients died due to smoke inhalation.

He added that the relatives of 44-year-old Nazeera, brought from Wayanad, told him that soon after the smoke covered the area, the patient was removed from the ventilator and was moved to another place, and that was the time she breathed her last.

State Health Minister Veena George has initiated an investigation into the incident.

The Kerala Director of Medical Education has been appointed to lead the team conducting a detailed inquiry into the events.

In the aftermath, 34 patients from the Casualty department have been relocated to various hospitals in the vicinity.

On Saturday, authorities stated that post-mortems would be conducted if requested by the relatives of the deceased.

Kozhikode Medical College Hospital is the succour of the common man in the districts of Wayanad, Malappuram and Kozhikode and is one of the busiest hospitals in the public sector.

(inputs from IANS)