Unfortunate: Two-month-old boy charred in KEM hospital fire dead

Mumbai : A two-month-old boy, who had sustained severe injuries in a fire in the intensive care unit of a municipal hospital in Mumbai, died of cardiac arrest in the early hours of November 21, a civic official said.

The baby sustained serious burn injuries in the fire at the KEM Hospital on November 6, after which, his left arm was amputated, the official said. "He was put on maximum ventilator support and his condition deteriorated on November 21 night. He suffered a cardiac arrest at 2.30 am on November 22, and could not be revived," the official said.

The baby suffered from congenital heart ailment, and was brought to the city from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh for treatment, the official said. On November 13, the boy's father 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, the official said.

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 the boy's family to Rs 10 lakh.

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

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