The fire at the district hospital in Kalaburagi has brought the lack of safety mechanisms at government hospitals into sharp focus. A brief look at the hospitals in Bengaluru, Karwar, Hubballi and Mysuru shows that few hospitals follow regulations prescribed by the Fire Department.
Medical Superintendent of Victoria Hospital, Dr H S Satish said, “The risk is high in the trauma ward and since it is centralised AC, all the safety measures have been taken.”
However, Nagaraju, the contractor who manages fire extinguishers at Victoria and Vani Vilas Hospitals, said, “The institution is least bothered. I had approached the authorities asking for the extinguishers to be refilled, but till now nothing has happened,” he said.
In Karwar, the 340-bed district hospital is in dire need of attention. District surgeon Dr Shivanand Kudtarkar told Express that the electrical engineers were taking care of the equipments and fire safety measures were being taken. He said that the AC and other equipment were being maintained regularly .
However, none of the wards, intensive care units and corridors had fire extinguishers.
In Hubballi, Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) Hospital has taken some initiatives. Though it cannot be said steps taken were foolproof, they were satisfactory.
Units have been upgraded with advanced facilities and fire safety measures have taken while they were modernised. Fire extinguishers have been placed to tackle the mishap.
The major cause of concern of the KIMS authorities is the quality of power it receives. “Voltage fluctuations in the power supplied to the hospital is a prime concern and we have brought the matter to the notice of authorities. Another problem is that when we change to the alternative source there is a cut in power supply. Then too high-voltage of current passes through the line, posing a danger of short circuit,” KIMS director Dr D D Bant told Express.
Both KR Hospital and Cheluvamba Hospitals in Mysuru have undertaken a review of the existing fire prevention measures. A proposal to install fire detector in the premises has been sent to the Fire Department, and firefighting personnel visited the hospital to learn about its fire safety measures.
KR Hospital Superintendent Dr Chandrashekhar said that in a couple of days talks will be held with the District Fire Officer and fire detectors will be installed in the hospital.
A decision has been taken to provide separate fire extinguishers in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Cheluvamba Hospital. As of now, there is only one fire extinguisher at the Cheluvamba Hospital building.
K R Hospital, Mysuru
Just Getting There
- Several safety measures have been chalked out at the city’s century-old Krishna Rajendra hospital (KR Hospital) and Cheluvamba Hospital
- Both hospitals have undertaken a review of the existing fire prevention measures
- A proposal to install fire detectors in the premises has been sent to the Fire Department
- As of now there is only one fire extinguisher at the Cheluvamba Hospital building
- PKTB Sanatorium superintendent Dr Veerupaksha said they don’t have any closed doors in the hospital, and so far they have not adopted any fire safety measures
District Government Hospital, Karwar
Fire Extinguishers Missing
- According to district surgeon Dr Shivanand Kudtarkar, electrical engineers are taking care of equipment and fire safety measures are being taken up
- He said the AC and other equipment are being maintained on a regular basis
- The 340-bedded hospital is in dire need of attention
- None of the wards, intensive care units and corridors have fire extinguishers
- The neonatal intensive care units is so congested that it accommodates only seven newborn babies
KIMS, Hubballi
Power Fluctuations A worry
- Some of the units at KIMS have been upgraded with advance facilities and fire safety measures were taken when they were modernised. It has a sufficient number of fire extinguishers too
- At the newer units such as the general ICUs, neonate ICU and cardiology units precautionary measures have been taken
- A major cause of concern of the KIMS authorities is the power fluctuations that can cause short circuits too
- The hospital’s old junction points and switch boards are being replaced with new, but its entire wiring system cannot be changed
Government Hospital, Kalaburagi
Only One Electrician
- The Superintendent of District Government Hospital Dr Nalini Namoshi denied the allegations and said the hospital had bagged first place in the infrastructure facilities in the State this year
- She said the short circuit was accidental
- No modern technology has been used for electricity work in the hospital
- Sources said though there are fire extinguishers in the hospital; proper training was not given to the staff on how to use them
- There is only 1 electrician in the 500-bed hospital
Date: March 26, 2016