Srinagar: The recent massive fire incident at Bone and Joint Hospital has exposed the cracks in the fire safety protocols in Kashmir’s hospitals. However, the government said that the gaps were being filled now.
The absence of hose reels, no fire hydrants, inadequate fire extinguishers, narrow passages, no fire escapes, and wooden buildings are some of the points that the fire safety audits of major hospitals in Kashmir have pointed to over the past two years.
From vulnerable to very vulnerable, the Fire and Emergency Department of J&K has minced no words about the preparedness and safety of hospitals vis-à-vis fires.
“At G B Pant Children Hospital, where on any given day, more than 400 patients including infants are admitted, the fire safety is a disaster in itself,” a senior official in the Health and Medical Education Department said.
He said that the hospital had a single entry and exit and there was no space in the hospital for the passage and movement of fire engines.
“The hospital does not have a fire escape and the stairways inside the building are narrow,” the official said. “If God forbid, there is a fire in the building, it is sure to become a catastrophe.”
Even at LalDed Hospital, the fire safety is poor with defunct fire hydrants, not an operational pumping system, and fire risk going hand-in-hand.
SMHS Hospital, Chest Diseases Hospital, and all other hospitals including the premier SKIMS, Soura have not been able to improve the fire safety of the premises and secure the lives of patients and staff over the years.
“It is a regular exercise, fire safety audits, reports, and then no action on part of the authorities,” the official said.
He said that despite funds, there had been laxity and callousness about fire safety.
The official said that at the Bone and Joint Hospital, the gross shortfalls in the building and premise design, coupled with the building being old and wooden to a great extent, played a role in spreading the fire last Friday.
Additional Chief Secretary to J&K Government, VivekBhardwaj told Greater Kashmir that fire safety had been on his priority list since he joined to head the Health and Medical Education Department.
“In the past six months, despite witnessing the onslaught of COVID-19, we have had three meetings with multiple stakeholders including the Fire and Emergency Department,” he said.
Bhardwaj said that the Health Department had ensured that all the hospitals had at least three measures in place: a working fire alarm, a fire safety drill, and fire extinguishers in adequate numbers in all areas.
He agreed that the fire safety measures in hospitals were “inadequate and risky” and said it would take a long time to improve those.
“We have made a beginning and continue to work on this every day and that is how it will improve,” Bhardwaj said.