Marol fire: Patients to be treated after due clearances to building

The condition of the hospital a day after the fire. Pic/Sneha Kharabe

After 10 years of repairs to its Marol building that caught fire last week, the ESIC Hospital authorities have decided that patients will be treated there only when due clearances from various agencies are in. They have also decided to function from ESIC's Kandivali hospital until the building at Marol is completely repaired and renovated. The ESIC union has also demanded increase in compensation to the families of the deceased.

The fire at the hospital had injured many and 11 people died in it. While the majority of the administrative staff has been transferred to various ESIC entities, its medical and paramedical staff was shifted to Kandivali. The employees of the hospital said that if this had been done earlier instead of continuing operations from Marol, many lives could be saved.

An official said, "There was a discussion about what needs to be done for further administration on Tuesday, and we have decided that until all required permissions are in, we will not do any work or treat patients at the ESIC Hospital at Marol. The arrangements for this work have been made at the Kandivali Hospital."

'More compensation'
Employees also want more compensation for those affected in the fire. The employees union leader of ESIC, V Radhakrishnan said, "We have demanded that the compensation be increased to R30 lakh for the deceased, from the existing R10 lakh. The administration should also ensure that future patients are treated properly. Some private hospitals have few beds reserved for ESIC, and those that do this should be identified soon."

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