Patients, medical personnel others scamper for safety as fire guts UCH ICU
Patients, medical personnel and several other visitors scampered for safety as an Intensive Care Unit of the University College Hospital; Ibadan went up in flame at the weekend.
There was no record of death as at the time of filing in the report but medical equipment worth millions of naira have been reported lost to the inferno.
The incident which started around 10; 25am from one of the offices later spread to the other parts of the Intensive Care Unit, (Adult section) of the hospital.
Our correspondent gathered that there was deafening silence as the oxygen cylinders being used as life support for patients in ICU exploded, thereby, throwing the entire hospital community into a state of pandemonium.
Other explosive medical equipment, as reliably informed by the security personnel, (name withheld) aided the spread of the fire. According to him, ‘The incident started around 10;25am.
The entire hospital community was thrown into a state of confusion as people scampered for safety. The Hospital management mobilized the rescue team to evacuate patients who are on admission at the ICU to other designated wards where they are receiving adequate medical attention.
In his own account, a senior management staff member of, Works Department who preferred anonymity said the incident which started at the early hours of the day took the combined efforts of the officials of fire services from the SUMAL, University College Hospital, University of Ibadan, State Fire Services and Federal Fire Services several hours to put under control.‘
The fire incident started in the early hours of Saturday. The architectural design of the ICU makes it difficult for the rescue team to access the building.‘When we got the wind of the incident, we swiftly moved to the venue with enough fire extinguishers but it has gone beyond that level.
We solicited the assistance of other fire stations.‘The Fire Services from the State, Federal, SUMAL and University of Ibadan moved in with their water tankers. Altogether, there are five water tankers on the ground. With the combined efforts, we are able to put the situation under control.
The incident is traceable to power surge, we gathered that incident started from one of the offices but later spread to other parts of the ICU.‘Even though the hospital has lost medical equipment worth millions of naira to the inferno, our joy is that none of the patients is suffocated to death.
Also, in order to forestall the re-occurrence of the ugly incident, the management is putting up the Fire Service Department building at the main entrance of the hospital, also speaking on the incident, the parent of one of the patients who identified herself as Mrs Salmot said the incident has paralyzed the activities in the hospital, as parents are being left unattended to, She added that there is a total blackout in the hospital as only a section of the hospital is running on a generating set.
