NEW DELHI: Union Ministry of Health and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Saturday directed states and Union Territories to take measures to prevent hospital fires during summers.
In a joint advisory, the ministry and NDMA asked the states to ensure all accredited hospitals conduct thorough inspections, address discrepancies in electrical load capacity and obtain valid fire No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) from respective fire departments.
In the advisory, Union health secretary Apurva Chandra and NDMA member Kamal Kishore said that as temperatures escalate during the summer months, hospital fires become a more significant threat and underscored the paramount importance of proactive measures to prevent such incidents.
Requesting the states to direct their respective health departments and state disaster management authorities to work in close collaboration to ensure that all accredited hospitals within their jurisdiction take immediate action, they listed a slew of measures that needs to be taken, including conducting comprehensive bi-annual fire safety audit/onsite inspections of all hospitals to assess fire safety compliance.
“Ensure that fire-fighting systems, including fire alarms, fire smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, fire hydrants and fire lifts are present and fully functional,” the advisory said.
It also said that the states should also carry out electrical load audits and see to it that the hospitals are strictly adhering to regulatory requirements and obtain valid annual fire NOCs from their fire departments.
Among the instructions given are the hospitals must regularly inspect fire-fighting equipment such as fire extinguishers, hydrants, and alarms; establish a maintenance schedule for all fire safety equipment, and ensure fire smoke detectors.