Why Odisha will not learn anything from SUM Hospital fire

A fire in a private hospital in Odisha has unfortunately claimed more than a score of lives and burnt too many fingers. The incident has also exposed the dark underbelly of violations of safety norms by nearly every hospital in the capital city of Bhubaneswar.

The fire has now engulfed the state health minister who has resigned on moral grounds. It has also brought to the fore an incompetent, unprofessional and base local media. The fire has asked too many uncomfortable questions.

Firstly, the ghastly fire. SUM Hospital, a leading private hospital in Bhubaneswar, witnessed a horrific fire which has now killed 26 people and left dozens injured. The hospital had been running without adequate certification and had been served notice by the fire department. There are questions galore about the flouting of norms. When institutions crumble and regulators flounder, such incidents will have much greater likelihood of occurrence.

There are much larger policy issues regarding safety, and particularly fire safety. Bhubaneswar, like most of our country, lacks safety awareness, a testimony that can be observed in its chaotic traffic, office buildings, shopping complexes, etc. But for the numero uno of “smart city” competition, it can ill afford to take such norms for granted.

Secondly, the resignation drama. The high moral ground that health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak has taken by resigning is of little consequence or comfort. Healthcare in Odisha has been facing many crises of late.

Be it deaths due to malnutrition, spread of Japanese encephalitis killing nearly 70 children or the infamous Dana Manjhi episode (he had to carry his dead wife on his shoulders for 10km), or gaping deficiency of doctors in rural areas, they merely reflect the state of affairs as they stand. The resignation drama just points to the fact that BJD supremo and state CM Naveen Patnaik could not be seen not doing anything any longer.

Thirdly, the local Odia media. With mushrooming news channels (during my visit to Odisha last week, I was flabbergasted to see one showing CCTV bhoot (ghost) during prime time), the discourse during this fire incident has been taken to the nadir.

With political patronage looming large, the media have got involved in cooking conspiracy theories, with one of them attributing the hospital fire to the curse of a jailed godman. It is just plain detestable. Pro-hospital news channels and anti-hospital news channels have thrown dirt on each other and muddied a sensible debate over fire safety.

The potent mix of sub-nationalism and lack of awareness, absence of ecosystem for growth and promotion of talent, narrow worldview and lack of innovation, compounded with the general rise in anti-intellectualism and dire educational status are the reasons behind the proliferation of such base media.

What should have been a sombre matter leading to serious debate and discussion over strengthening institutions and regulators that are responsible for safety, what should have been a matter of ethical investigation to help book wrongdoers and ascertain facts, what should have been a rude wake-up call to fix a proposed "smart city" - has become a slugfest of lower order, a political drama, an obfuscation of information.

Learning lessons the hard way is always difficult and surely the polity, society and media of Odisha is not interested in doing the difficult task.

Also read: Bhubaneswar SUM Hospital fire: Management cannot pass the buck