Reports suggest that an electrical short circuit triggered the fire, raising alarms regarding security protocol at government hospitals. There were 54 newborn babies in the NICU, but there appeared to be no emergency plan, a functioning fire safety system and adequate response mechanisms.

This tragedy is not an isolated incident. This reflects the chronic failure of the Yogi model of governance, in which a focus on cosmetic infrastructure projects takes precedence over critical investments in health security and care.

The state government’s priorities appear to be based on propaganda, leaving hospitals under-equipped and overburdened.

It is worth noting here that this is not the first time that the Uttar Pradesh government has been caught off guard in the face of a healthcare disaster.

From the Gorakhpur oxygen tragedy in 2017 to the mismanagement of COVID-19, the Yogi administration has demonstrated its incompetence time and time again. The systematic neglect of public hospitals, combined with the lack of accountability of officials, has created a ticking time bomb in the state’s healthcare facilities.