Dr. Soetomo Hospital Fire: Hospital Denies Hydrant System Was Not Functioning Optimally
A fire broke out at Dr. Soetomo Hospital in Surabaya, prompting an evacuation of 44 patients. Hospital management denies claims that the hydrant system in the Integrated Heart Center building was not functioning optimally, stating that while pressure may have been a factor, the system was operational. One patient, who was already in critical condition, died during the incident, but the hospital maintains the death was due to the patient’s underlying illness, not the fire or smoke.
The fire occurred in the Integrated Heart Center building on Friday morning. The hospital’s vice director of medical and nursing services, Prof. Dr. Ahmad Suryawan, refuted claims that the hydrant system was not functioning properly. He stated that all hydrants in the building were functioning normally, although the pressure may have been less than optimal.
The coordinator of the hospital’s Red Code team, Dwi K, said that the building has two hydrants: one outdoors with a 2.5-inch hose and one indoors with a 1.5-inch hose. The indoor hydrant was used because the fire was inside the building, while the outdoor hydrant was used for support by the fire department. Dwi stated that both hydrants were functioning properly, but the pressure was not strong enough to reach the fire on the fifth floor.
The head of the hospital’s legal, public relations, and marketing department, Martha Kurnia K, said that the hospital was able to control the fire using its internal protection system, with the help of the fire department and the Surabaya Disaster Management Agency. She said that hospital staff immediately began extinguishing the fire using the internal system while contacting the fire department. The quick response of all parties helped to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading.
The hospital’s CEO, Prof. Dr. Cita Rosita Sigit Prakoeswa, stated that the patient who died during the fire was already in critical condition due to an underlying illness. She said that the patient was being supported by medical equipment and that the death was not caused by the fire or smoke.
The patient who died was identified as Sutaji, a 46-year-old man from Blora, Central Java. He was being treated in the ICU on the sixth floor. His wife, Yuli, said that Sutaji was the last patient to be evacuated. She said that she was separated from her husband during the evacuation and that he was in critical condition when she found him. Sutaji died shortly after being moved to the resuscitation room.
Prof. Dr. Cita Rosita Sigit Prakoeswa reiterated that the patient’s death was due to his underlying illness, not the fire or smoke. She said that the patient was already in critical condition and was being supported by medical equipment. She also said that the hospital staff did everything they could to evacuate the patients and control the fire.
The fire is believed to have started from a short circuit in a refrigerator in the pharmacy on the fifth floor. All 44 patients in the building were evacuated. One patient, Sutaji, died despite being evacuated.