The state government plans to give a second chance to hospitals and clinical establishments with inadequate fire safety standards to take corrective measures within a stipulated time frame.
“These establishments will be asked to comply with the latest fire safety guidelines within a deadline. Failure to comply with the norms will attract severe penalties. They will be required to deposit some nominal fees and take appropriate measures to get their establishments regularised under existing norms,” a senior fire service official, who is working on the modalities of the scheme, told The Telegraph.
The proposal comes in the wake of the Sum Hospital fire tragedy that had claimed 31 lives and injured 130 persons on October 17 reportedly due to a short-circuit in an electric power system in the ICU.
The government conducted a detailed survey of the health care establishments following the incident and came to realise that only four of a total of 523 health care establishments in Bhubaneswar were conforming to fire safety standards.
The survey revealed that even major government hospitals, such as the SCB Medical College and Hospital and the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar, lacked fire safety measures.
Of some 202 registered health care establishments in Cuttack city, the district administration has not renewed licences of 157 facilities for various inadequacies.
During the survey, it also came to light that the defaulters had somehow managed to get clearances for the existing building norms stipulated by the government despite lacking in basic fire safety infrastructure, such as multiple exit routes, adequate provision for ventilation and provision for installation of advanced fire-fighting systems including alarms. Many hospitals don’t even have adequate water terrace tanks, sprinkler systems, fire detection system and external fire escape staircase.
Besides, the state government is also worried about the fact that the legal action against the privately-owned 750 bed Sum Hospital following the fire tragedy has become an obstacle in its efforts to make Odisha a health tourism destination. Hospital founder Manoj Nayak, who also runs a private university, was arrested and sent to jail for the tragedy. His arrest invoked sharp protests from entrepreneurs in the state. The tragedy also cost the then health minister, Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, his job.
Another senior government official told The Telegraph that a three-member committee under the directorate of town planning, including the chief fire officer and director of medical education and training, had been constituted to frame the rules of the scheme.
Town planning director Subhendra Mishra, who heads the committee, said: “We are examining all the details and will shortly submit our report to the government.”
The fire service directorate has already sent its recommendation in this regard to the housing and urban development department. State fire safety officer Sukanta Sethy said: “It is a voluminous report that was submitted three days ago. Our effort is to ensure that fire mishap, such as the one at Sum Hospital, does not recur in health care establishments.”
Date: December 28, 2016