HYDERABAD: The fire accident in a printing press behind Niloufer Hospital, Red Hills, is taken on cautionary note by the State Health department officials. Since the teaching hospital has 20 kilo litre liquid oxygen facility, the gas can accelerate fire in case there were to be an accident. The fire was doused off by fire brigade. After receiving the news about the accident on Thursday, the hospital’s administrative officials rushed to the health facility and got to know that patients there were not at risk.
A few hours after the fire was doused off, Director of Medical Education Dr K Ramesh Reddy too reached the hospital and held a meeting with the administrative officials to take stock of the situation. One of the main point of discussion was liquid oxygen facility beside the new block of the hospital. Since the pure oxygen in the 20 KL facility can dramatically increase the fire and possibly cause explosion too, officials charted plans on steps needed to avoid the catastrophe. Dr Ramesh Reddy said that in eventuality of fire accident, they will shut down the liquid oxygen facility.
“Since patients in emergency medical condition require constant supply of oxygen, we have Plan B: starting manifold (group of oxygen cylinders connected to a pipeline). Besides that, Plan C is to push in mobile bulk oxygen cylinders. Each floor has a set of ports to connect the cylinders,” Dr Reddy said. The DME instructed teaching hospitals administrations to cross check their oxygen facilities and find if there were any lapses.