HYDERABAD: The fire accident at Rohini Super Specialty in Warangal has caused serious concerns for authorities at government hospitals and the State Health and Family Welfare department. The issue is a symptom of a larger problem in the healthcare sector in the state. To begin with, there are no fire safety mechanisms available at most tertiary care hospitals in Hyderabad.
About one-and-half month before the tragedy at Rohini Hospital, a glimpse of the disaster in the making was witnessed at the Osmania General Hospital. On August 28, an air conditioner installed at a nephrology professor’s office at the Osmania Hospital developed a short circuit. Thick black smoke engulfed all wards in third floor of Quli Qutb Shah Block.
Patients and attendants were rushed out of the building that did not comply with fire safety norms. It had only one entry and exit point. Though there were no casualties, the accident alerted the hospital superintendent GVS Moorthy, who issued a reminder to all departments concerned to install necessary mechanisms. The lesson, however, was not followed up by other hospitals that were in similar state.
Fire safety mechanisms are also missing in parts of Niloufer Hospital, that caters to children below 14 years, and Gandhi Hospital. More than 12,500 people —patients and staff—are present at any given time at these three government hospitals, say sources. Superintendent of Gandhi Hospital Dr P Shravan Kumar said there is an urgent need for the precautions and that he too would write letters to authorities concerned requesting the facilities to be renewed. Though the hospital was provided with the mechanism at its inception, fire hoses are missing from fire boxes in eight floors of In-Patient block.
‘71 TS hosps have been issued NOC’
Regional Fire Officer at TS Disaster Response and Fire Safety department, V Papaiah said that 71 hospitals in the State have been issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC). However, the total number of hospitals in the State is not known. Any building which is more than 15-metres, comes under the purview of the Fire Safety Department. When surprise checks were taken up at 71 hospitals (which were issued NoC), 21 hospitals were found to have violated safety measures. Prosecution was launched against them.