The Kandivli fire accident that claimed six lives and left families battling mounting hospital bills has once again highlighted the urgent need for a dedicated burns unit in Mumbai’s western suburbs. While civic plans exist to create space for burn patients in upcoming hospitals, delays in establishing a specialised unit at a major public hospital continue to raise alarm among victims’ families.

Manoj Kumar, whose wife Putani Gautam also died in the fire, told mid-day, “We had no choice but to admit them to Airoli. There is no burns unit in the western suburbs where immediate treatment is available. Travelling to Navi Mumbai daily is exhausting and financially crushing. We need a burns unit in a BMC or government hospital here so families like ours don’t suffer the same ordeal.”