Existing regulations don’t subject nursing homes to periodic fire safety audit.
In the wake of the AMRI Hospital fire tragedy in Kolkata last week, which killed more than 90 patients and staff, the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) Health department has decided to initiate fire safety audits of all hospitals and nursing homes in the city.
According to the health department, there are 583 registered nursing homes in the city, apart from at least 150 unregistered ones.
Last week, a large number of hapless patients suffocated and died in their beds when a massive fire broke out in Kolkata’s AMRI Hospital basement. Fire officials in Kolkata blamed hospital directors (now arrested) for ignoring basic fire safety measures, leading to the accident.
PMC’s acting chief medical officer, Dr ST Pardeshi, told DNA that a circular is being sent to fire officials as well as ward officers to conduct fire safety audits of all hospitals and nursing homes.
“While all nursing homes should obtain fire NOC (no objection certificate), current norms do not require them to do so. That’s why we are issuing instructions that whether the rules require or not, all medical establishments be audited for fire safety measures,” said Pardeshi.
Significantly, despite using a host of radioactive materials and inflammable substances, not a single nursing home in Pune has obtained a fire safety NOC as it is not mandatory to do so. This was confirmed by PMC’s fire department chief, Prashant Ranpise.
Licensing rules of the PMC’s health department for nursing homes require only details of staff and ownership, apart from an NOC from the building permission department.
“The building department asks for fire NOC only if nursing homes are located at 50 metres or more (average five floors). However, nursing homes are usually below three storeys; that’s why they haven’t applied to us. It is funny that even a vada-pav vendor requires a fire NOC, but not a nursing home,” said Ranpise.
He appealed to nursing homes to approach the PMC’s fire department for fire safety audit, and emphasised on safety issues in the smaller establishments. Several inflammable substances — gauze and cotton wool, spirits, chemicals and oxygen cylinders — are at risk in case of a fire. This is besides radioactive materials used in X-ray machines.
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