A fire that broke out inside the canteen of a private hospital, S P Fort, in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday has resulted in the emergency transfer of over 30 patients to other hospitals nearby, including the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. The shift was necessitated because the smoke from the canteen, which is squeezed behind the hospital, spread to the first and second floors of the hospital.
Both hospital and Fire Force officials said that the fire had been brought under control and also that it was not serious enough to cause any casualties. Nonetheless, the quick spread of smoke to the floors where patients were admitted called for a quick evacuation. Most were orthopaedic and cardiac patients. A hospital source said treatment could not be carried out in the affected wards until the smoke was fully cleared and the area was sanitised following strict medical protocols.
This resulted in a major disruption of social distancing protocols in front of the hospital where patients were wheeled out in stretchers. It was chaos as panicked relatives crowded around the patients and ambulances, their sirens in full blast, driving in to carry the patients to nearby hospitals. The shortage of ambulances has led to many patients still waiting in the non-spacious courtyard of the hospital.
