BENGALURU: Out of 4,787 inpatient private hospitals in the state, over 3,000 have been inspected by fire and emergency services personnel. Of them, over 50% are found to be lacking proper fire safety equipment and not adhering to fire safety standards.
After a recent fire incident at a private hospital in Bengaluru, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh held a meeting with health and senior fire department officials. Later, a circular was issued to hospitals to follow fire safety precautions, a senior officer from the fire department told TNIE.
Fire officers have inspected over 3,000 hospitals so far
Dr Vivek Dorai, Deputy Director (Medical-2), Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (KPME), told TNIE that the health department has advised hospitals to implement stringent fire safety measures.
“The state has over 30,000 private hospitals across various categories, including laboratories and clinics. Priority was given to inpatient buildings in the state, followed by clinics and other establishments,” he said.
A circular from the health department on October 15 noted that previously, buildings below 21 metres did not have to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the fire department. They could submit a self-declaration on their compliance.
The circular stated that old self-declaration is now invalid, and buildings below 21 metre too are required to obtain the NOC from the fire department. Buildings over 21 metre are classified under the National Building Code (NBC) and must obtain an NOC from fire and emergency services.
The circular instructed KPME district health officers and taluk health officers to conduct inspections and submit reports.
A senior official from the Fire and Emergency Services Department said, “The health department provided a list of 4,787 inpatient private hospitals in the state. District Fire Officers (DFOs) have inspected over 3,000 till now.
Over 50% of the inspected buildings were found to be non-compliant with fire safety measures. The DFOs have submitted an audit report to higher health officials and have set a 90-day deadline for compliance before reinspection.”
As per the new circular, he said, all inpatient private hospitals should have fire extinguishers, first-aid kits, hose reels, an automatic sprinkler system and manually operated electronic alarm systems.