Sher-e-Bangla Medical fire: Medicine unit to remain closed three days, 5-member proby body formed

The medicine unit of Sher-e-Bangla Medical College will remain closed for three days due to the damage caused by a fire earlier today (13 October), hospital authorities said.

The authorities have also formed a five-member committee to investigate the fire incident and submit a report within three days, the hospital's Acting Director Dr Moniruzzaman Shahin told The Business Standard this evening.

"The cause of the fire cannot be ascertained yet. We will find out once the committee submits its report," he said.

The hospital director also said several people sustained injuries while rushing to exit the building but so far, no deaths were reported.

The probe committee will be headed by Dr Imrul Kayes, head of the medicine department of Sher-e-Bangla Medical College.

Other members of the committee are: a representative of the Barishal divisional commissioner, a representative of the Barishal deputy commissioner, a deputy-director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence and an executive engineer of the Public Works Department.

The fire broke out at the Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barishal at around 9am this morning.

The Fire Service was notified about the fire at 9:03am.

 "We reached the hospital at 9:06am and started working to bring the blaze under control. The fire was brought under control at around 11:30am," said Belal Uddin, assistant director of Barishal Fire Service and Civil Defence. 

Mojibur Rahman, the father of a patient who was present at the hospital when the fire broke out, said, "I have returned from the jaws of death. The hospital's second, third and fourth floors suddenly got engulfed in smoke at around 9:15am."

"Hundreds of people started running down. My son is ill; I risked a lot to get out while covering his face with a cloth through the smoke," he added.

Dr Shyamal Krishna Mondal, deputy director of the Directorate General of Health Services, visited the hospital's medicine unit immediately after the incident.

Following an inspection, he told reporters that there was no information regarding any casualties in the fire.

"As soon as the news of the fire spread, the patient's relatives, doctors, nurses and staff managed to evacuate the patients safely with the help of each other."

He said the fire seems to have started from the store room on the ground floor of the building. 

"Various furniture, mattresses, mosquito nets, mosquito nets and other goods were burnt there. But the fire did not spread from the ground floor to any other floor.

"However, smoke spread to the upper floors which caused panic. It will take at least three days for the medicine unit to be fully operational. Within three days, the rest of the floors except the ground floor of the building will be opened for patient services. It will take more time to resume normal activities on the ground floor," said the DGHS official.

A total of 543 patients were staying in the medicine unit building of the hospital when the fire originated, a hospital official said, adding that more than 1,200 people, including relatives, nurses and doctors, were staying with the patient.

It should be noted that the patients will be treated in the main building until the building of the medicine unit is completely ready.