news details |
|
|
| JK hospitals lack firefighting mechanism | | | Saqib Junaid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Sept : Risking the lives of people visiting government cum private hospitals and nursing homes for medicare, most hospitals across Jammu and Kashmir are operating without the mandatory non objection certificate (NOC) from the Fire and Emergency Services department.
Official sources within the Fire and Emergency Services department said most hospitals across the state are not equipped in terms of fire safety measures. Sources said only few hospital in twin capitals Srinagar and Jammu are equipped with fire safety measures.
According to the guideline of fire department, it is mandatory for every hospital to ensure fire protection and fire safety measures before construction of any building.
It could be made only operational, once the fire department approves the NOC after making assessment of the fire safety measures that would have been put in place in the building.
Earlier, after a hospital was gutted in a fire in West Bengal, the Union Health Ministry issued the directions asking all the government and private hospitals to ensure fire proof fighting mechanism are put in place to avert any tragedy.
The fire department also gave its recommendations to the hospitals in J&K to install the fire fighting mechanism. However, sources said only few hospitals have implement the recommendations and installed the firefighting facilities.
"In Srinagar city, only few hospitals have firefighting mechanism put in place some are lying defunct. In other government hospitals, they have no such facilities nor have we approved NOC in their favour. Many private hospitals in Srinagar have incorporated these facilities but in other districts they are yet to install the same," said a senior official of fire department.
He said they have also failed to install ramps on the stairs as a fire safety measure.
According to the guidelines set up by the Union Health Ministry, the government should renew the registration of hospitals every two-years to check about the fire safety measures and then they can operate the hospital. "But nothing such is being followed here," he said.
The hospitals in other rural areas depict a grim picture with no fire fighting mechanism being put in place in majority of the hospitals.
Sources said almost all the sub-district hospital, privates hospitals in rural districts lack any sort of fire fighting mechanism and are running without obtaining NOC from Fire and Emergency Department.
It is also mandatory that regular drills should be conducted every month to check whether the fire fighting mechanism works or not.
"Even no drills are being conducted in hospitals where fire safety measures are put in place in Srinagar hospitals. Even the exit gates also remain locked from outside in all the hospitals," sources said.
Sources said government had also written to Medical Superintendents of the hospitals in the Valley to conduct fire-auditing/fire safety advisory for all health institutions way back in 2011, but it has been found that the hospital administrations were not obliging the orders.
An official of Fire and Emergency Department Kashmir, he said, "We have given our suggestions to all hospitals what fire facilities they need to put in place. We have given them our advisory and it is now their job to implement the same for the safety of the visitors," he said.
He suggested that monthly maintenance drills should be conducted every month whether the fire safety mechanism works or not.
He further suggested that hospitals need people who are well-aware about the fire fighting and for proper maintenance of equipments. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
