MCH fire sparks row over structural safety, alleged corruption

A MASSIVE controversy has erupted following the fire mishap at the newly constructed surgical super-speciality block of the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Kozhikode

The seven-storey structure, built under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) and inaugurated in 2023 by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was once hailed as a model for delivering international-quality healthcare services.

However, just two years later, the same building has come under scrutiny, with allegations of poor construction, inadequate safety mechanisms, and administrative negligence.

The blaze, which started on the ground floor of the new block on May 2, quickly filled the structure with smoke, spreading to upper floors and causing panic among patients and staff. The hospital block, which includes 500 beds—190 of which are ICU beds—as well as 19 modular operation theatres, MRI and CT scan facilities, C-arm imaging, CSSD units, and a multi-organ transplant centre, had only recently become partially operational.