Not all doctors fled, some stayed to save lives

Contrary to initial reports and eyewitnesses accounts, not all doctors ran away from the hospital leaving behind their patients when the fire broke out at AMRI on Saturday. The Sunday Express tracked many doctors who were on duty on the fateful night. And they stayed back to save lives — till they themselves were on the verge of collapse.

Dr S C Burman, a senior doctor who was in charge of the ICCU Thursday night, is critically ill and is under treatment. In the ICCU, nine patients were under his supervision. The 55-year-old doctor could rescue eight of the patients with the help of junior colleagues and finally gave up when he himself was gasping for breath in the gas-filled room.

A junior doctor, Dr Diprakshi Gayen, first noticed smoke inside the ICCU from the corridor. Dr Gayen opened the ICCU door and saw that the corridor was filled with smoke. He closed the door and informed Dr Burman, who instructed him and an attendant, Rizo Phillip, to take the fluid stand and break the glasspanes.

They took out eight patients one by one near the window. "We took the patients near the windows. They were critically ill and not in a situation to walk. Since there was thick black smoke and the power went off, we couldn't see much. After we reached the window we saw that the fire brigade ladder couldn't reach the fourth floor. We waited till the firefighters came with a longer ladder. Dr Burman and Rizo didn't climb down till the eight patients were rescued," said Dr Gayen. But one could not be saved.

Dr Burman is critically ill and he is undergoing treatment, said Dr Urvashi Agarwal, deputy medical superintendent.

Dr Burman lost one of the nurses in the ICCU during rescue work. "Sister Remya was inside with the doctors and she was helping them. I asked her to come out of the hospital but she told me that she is yet to rescue one more patient. However, she could not come out, neither the patient," added Dr Urvashi.

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