Fire breaks out at JB hospital, six dead

JOHOR BARU: A fire at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital here today resulted in the deaths of six patients at an intensive care unit, according to the Johor Fire and Rescue Department.
Its director, Othman Abdullah, said they were among the seven patients in the southern ICU on the second floor of the hospital.
One patient was rescued by firefighters who rushed there after being notified at 8.56am, he added.
"There were seven critically ill patients in the ICU who, according to doctors, were dependent on ventilators under normal circumstances and could not be moved without their beds," he said.
Othman said the department rushed 10 trucks and 166 firefighters to the hospital soon after it was summoned.
He said the fire did not spread to other areas of the hospital. Meanwhile, Johor Baru Selatan Police chief ACP Sulaiman Salleh said five of the bodies were found at 11.15am and the sixth a little later.
He advised the public not to be taken in by unverified information.
Meanwhile an eyewitness, Habibah Abd Ghani, 37, said she was not aware of the fire and only realised it after she was out of the building.
"During the incident, I was in the fourth floor ward accompanying my father who is admitted for pain in the rib.
"Then I heard a commotion and was asked by the nurse to get out of the ward. The situation was under control after we went down the stairs, assisted by the hospital staff," she said when met by reporters here.
Habibah also saw many patients and hospital staff in and around the hospital at that time.
A Bernama survey at 12 noon revealed the hospital compound was still congested with many patients and staff remaining outside the hospital building.
Meanwhile Sulaiman said during the incident 294 patients and 193 hospital staff were reported to be in the same building.
The four female patients and two male patients who died were among the seven patients in the ICU while a male patient was saved from the fire.
He said other patients had been evacuated temporarily to wards in other buildings.
Meanwhile Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the affected patients were being sent to another hospital near Johor Baru, especially the Sultan Ismail Hospital.
The latest information and status on the incident would be notified from time to time, he said in a statement.
He urged the people not to speculate and spread inaccurate information about the incident. — Bernama
Below is a timeline of fire incidents involving Hospitals in Malaysia between 2006-2016:
June 15, 2010: A fire broke out on the third floor of the main building in Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR) in Klang. The fire was reported to have started in the backup power generator room on the third floor. No injuries were suffered.
Feb 17, 2013: The Telupid Health Clinic in Sabah was burnt to the ground. No reported casualties.
Feb 15, 2014: A new building at the Sarawak General Hospital in Kuching caught fire at 5pm. 35-year-old Indonesian construction worker, Teguh Praytino, was found dead with burnt marks but it was suspected that he died from smoke inhalation. No other casualties or damages were reported. The fire was believed to be caused by sparks from the welding works which could have ignited some flammable construction materials.
May 27, 2015: About 100 patients were evacuated after a fire broke out at the Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah in Klang. The fire started near the ward's oxygen and power point and was brought under control.No casualties were reported.
Oct 7, 2015: A government health clinic (Daro district health clinic) located in a rural area of Mukah, Sarawak was destroyed in fire. No casualties were reported.
July 11, 2016: In-house patients at KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital (KPJ Sabah) were evacuated in the morning when a fire broke out in the hospital's main switch room. The damage was confined only to the hospital's main switch room while all other areas of the hospital remained safe and unaffected. There were no reported injuries or casualties.
Aug 15, 2016: A fire broke out at the maintenance storeroom located on the ninth floor of the Sri Kota Specialist Medical Centre in Jalan Mohet, Klang. No injuries were reported.