New Delhi, Nov 18: The Centre on Monday asked all states to review and update fire prevention and response plans of all health facilities, including training of healthcare staff on safety protocols and ensuring regular maintenance of electrical circuit systems, to mitigate fire accidents in hospitals. The letter by Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava which urges all states and UTs to take up this issue on priority comes days after a fire, suspected to have been caused by an electric short-circuit, gutted a neonatal intensive care unit of a government hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi, killing ten infants. States and UTs have also been requested to constitute district-level committees to undertake physical inspection of all health facilities and take suitable actions against the defaulters.
In the letter to chief secretaries of all states and UTs, the Health Secretary stressed on undertaking regular preventive fire safety drills including evacuation plans and implementation and maintenance of fire prevention measures such as regular and optimal maintenance of electrical circuits systems. She also called for installation and optimum maintenance of fire detection and suppression systems, including smoke alarms, fire extinguishers with regular checks on expiry date, sprinklers etc. States and UTs have also been requested to constitute district-level committees headed by district collectors comprising relevant officials from health, fire services and public works dep.