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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Blaze poser for hospitals by Sumi Sukanya

Blaze poser for hospitals by Sumi Sukanya

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published Published on Dec 10, 2011   modified Modified on Dec 10, 2011

Patna, Dec. 9: Health hubs in the state capital are ill-prepared to fight a fire like the one that claimed more than 80 lives today at AMRI Hospitals in Calcutta.

Most hospital and nursing homes in the city lack fire-fighting equipment or plan to evacuate patients and employees in case of a blaze.

The state does not have any fire prevention rules, as the draft of the law has been entangled in red tape for years. In its absence, the fire department and the civic body ask builders to follow the suggestions of National Building Code, 2005, to prevent a mishap. According to the code, some precautionary measures, like installing portable extinguishers, alarms and water tanker in the building are must. Highrises must also have a separate staircase for fire exits.

At most hospitals, however, such precautions are thrown to the wind.

Government-owned health hubs in the city — Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) and Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGIMS) — are all lagging behind in this regard. Fire-fighting gadgets, alarms and ramps to evacuate patients are missing. Dumping of combustible material like old wooden furniture and cardboard boxes on the hospital premises increase the chance of a blaze. Faulty electrical wiring in most of these building can not only create a spark through a short circuit but also pose a hazard for patients and employees.

Authorities, however, feel that all is hunky-dory in the hospitals.

Dr O.P. Sah, superintendent, PMCH, said: “Three years ago, officials from the fire department visited PMCH and suggested various ways to ensure that we are ready to deal with a fire-related emergency. We have implemented all their recommendations.”

A visit to the health hub, however, revealed that the authorities cannot afford to be nonchalant. The hospital does not even have a water tanker.

The situation at NMCH is worse. The fire extinguisher at the hospital has run out of gas and nothing has been done to refill it. “We do not have separate funds for fire-fighting measures in the hospital. There is definitely a need for it. We will take up the matter with the authorities,” said a hospital official.

The preparations at private hospitals that citizens rush to in search of superior healthcare are no better than their government-owned counterparts.

At Gardiner Road Hospital, one of the glass cases meant to store fire extinguishers was empty. In one of the blocks, live wires were hanging precariously from the wall. Worse still, the hospital also lacks trained professionals to deal with such emergencies.

“There are fire extinguishers and sand buckets but the employees lack knowledge and training about how to operate the gadgets,” said a doctor at the hospital.

Basic fire-fighting equipment, however, are better at private health hubs. Authorities of many of these hospitals claim they have a safety protocol in place.

“All safety equipment at our hospital are well maintained. We have the required no-objection certificate from the fire department as well,” said Dr Ajit Pradhan, director, Jeevak Heart Hospital.

There are, however, other problems that plague these institutes.

Dr Sanjeev Kumar, director, Magadh Hospital, said: “At our hospital, we have all the requisite arrangements for fighting fire. However, I doubt that a fire brigade would be able to easily reach our hospital in case an emergency. The lane leading to the hospital has been encroached upon and a lot of permanent structures have come up as well.”

Patients, who are most likely to become victims of blaze in a hospital, and their companions were, however, not impressed with the arrangements for their safety.

“It is shocking that no hospital fulfils the criteria of fire-fighting and disaster management. What’s worse, no inspection is ever carried out. Even during an inspection, a hospital can easily bribe an official and get the required permission,” said Tanmay Prakash, a companion of a patient at Kurji Hospital.

Health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey accepted that the old government hospitals did not have proper fire safety measures. He, however, added: “We will soon conduct a review of both private and government hospitals and issue safety guidelines.”

The Telegraph, 10 December, 2011, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1111210/jsp/bihar/story_14863640.jsp


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