HYDERABAD: A day after the vulnerability of Osmania General Hospital in the city was exposed in a minor fire accident, as reported in these columns, now it comes to light that the situation is no different at state-run Gandhi hospital too. Shockingly, fire fighting equipment are completely missing at Emergency Block of the hospital where Operation Theatres and Intensive Care Units are located. In fact, the 65-bedded ICU which was recently inaugurated is located in third floor of the block and the floors leading to it do not have any fire safety measure.
When Express checked all eight-floors of hospital’s main block, none of fire hose boxes including the one opposite hospital superintendent’s chamber have fire hose. It was learnt that the fire hoses were stolen. Sprinklers were set up but they are not working. Required number of fire extinguishers were not put in place.At some crucial wards, hose reel was found to be broken at many points and in some cases hydrant accessories were missing. The hospital has 1,012 sanctioned beds. However, at least 2,000 patients are admitted into the in-patient wards on any given day. Sources said that if a modest count of two attendants per patient have to be considered, it means 4,000 more people inside the hospital.
“Around 200 doctors, 250 staff nurses, 600 sanitation workers, security and other employees work at the hospital,” sources said. Evacuating them all at once would be impossible as sufficient exit points are not provided either at the emergency block (two points for entry and exit) or at main building (three points for entry and exit).
Doctors and attendants at the hospital said their lives will be at stake if there were to be a fire mishap. “Getting out of the buildings will be a problem for us too,” said a senior doctor. An attendant too said that finding way out in chaotic situations will be a problem.
Hosp not prepared to handle fire mishaps, says suptd
Lack of fire safety measures was pointed out by successive superintendents of Gandhi Hospital. Superintendent Dr P Shravan Kumar too said that the hospital is not prepared to handle fire mishaps and that Telangana State Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (TSMIDC) should immediately fix the problem. “The current fire safety system is not working. It has to be reinstalled. The buildings are not prepared for fire accidents. The sprinklers too are not working,” Dr Shravan Kumar said, adding that the lapses were pointed out to TSMIDC earlier, but the issues were not fixed.
No fire safety at Niloufer
Hyderabad:Akin to Gandhi Hospital’s Emergency block, fire safety measures are completely missing at Niloufer Hospital’s old block too. At risk are around 100 patients, between age of 1-14 years, admitted at Old Block of the hospital. While most of the units are shifted to new block, Units-I, III and V were not shifted and around 100 children are undergoing treatment there. While fire hoses, sprinklers, fire extinguishers are placed in all floors of the new block, none of these facilities are available at three units located in first floor of the old block. Superintendent of hospital Dr V Murali Krishna could not be reached over phone, to find if any measures will be taken up.