Thiruvananthapuram: The Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital authorities on Saturday denied any link between the deaths of five patients and the fire that broke out in the Surgical ICU on March 17.

In a statement, the Principal and Hospital Superintendent said all five patients had been undergoing treatment in critical condition following accidents, and their deaths were not caused by the fire or its side effects. "The move to link the deaths of patients, who were under treatment in critical condition due to road accidents, with the fire incident that occurred last Tuesday in the Surgical ICU of the Medical College multi-speciality block, is absolutely unfortunate," the statement said.

Hospital authorities added that the treating doctors and medical officers had confirmed that the deaths were unrelated to the incident. 

However, relatives of the deceased have alleged lapses on the part of the hospital during the evacuation process. 

The deceased have been identified as Saneesh J (38) of Neyyattinkara, Krishnankutty (53) of Ayoor, Omana Amma of Chirayinkeezhu, Sreedharan of Balaramapuram and Abdul Raheem. Their families claim that disruption to oxygen and ventilator support while shifting patients to other ICUs may have contributed to the deaths.

Saneesh J, who had been undergoing treatment after a road accident on March 8, was among those who died. According to his relatives, his condition had been improving in the days leading up to the fire.

"We were asked to give him porridge that morning, and he ate it. That meant he was getting better," said his relative, Pushpaleela.

Saneesh had sustained injuries to his head, neck and spine in the accident and had been on ventilator support. He was also scheduled to undergo an MRI scan on the day the fire broke out.

Recounting the events during the incident, the family alleged that there was confusion and a lack of communication from hospital authorities. "When the fire broke out, patients were being moved and there was panic. We were waiting outside without knowing what was happening to him," Pushpaleela said.

She alleged that Saneesh's oxygen support was removed while he was being shifted to another ICU and that the family was not informed about his condition or location for several hours. "We kept asking where he was, but no one told us anything. Patients were being shifted till around 1 pm, and we could not find him," she said, adding that they were later informed he had been moved.

According to the family, there was no further communication from hospital authorities until the next morning, when they received a call asking them to inform relatives. "They called his brother that morning (March 18) and said he was gone. It happened because his oxygen support was removed," she alleged.

Pushpaleela said that his family is preparing to file a complaint alleging medical lapses. Saneesh, a tile setter by profession, is survived by his wife, Leena, and two children.

Relatives of the other deceased patients have also raised similar concerns regarding the handling of critically ill patients during the fire.

Krishnankutty (53), whose condition was critical, died on the same day, just hours after the fire broke out. He had suffered blood clots in the brain and underwent an open brain surgery on March 15, said his relative Binu.

Krishnankutty had met with an accident on March 14 when he was hit by an autorickshaw while crossing the road. He was initially taken to a hospital in Ayoor and later referred to the Medical College Hospital due to the severity of his injuries.

"Even after the surgery, doctors had not given much hope. When the fire broke out, there was panic and we were waiting outside asking about him. Nobody knew," Binu said.

He added that Krishnankutty was shifted to the dialysis ICU, but the family was not informed. "Around 12.45 pm, a doctor told us that he was gone," he said, adding that the patient's already critical condition may have worsened during the transfer.

Binu said the family is uncertain about filing a complaint, as the transfer during the fire may have been unavoidable. Krishnankutty is survived by his wife and two children. He was a goldsmith and the sole breadwinner of the family.