Half Of Hospitals In Noida, Greater Noida Functioning In Violation Of Fire Safety Norms: Report

Notices have been sent to all hospitals that have been found flouting the norms and they have been given a month to rectify the errors.

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New Delhi: Almost half of the hospitals across Noida and Greater Noida with more than five-bed capacity have been functioning in violation of fire safety guideline, the Gautam Buddh Nagar fire department found.

According to news agency PTI, the fire department also recommended electrical audits of these hospitals to reduce the risk of fire incidents, stating that around 80 per cent of incidents occur due to electrical issues in buildings.

According to a senior official of the fire department, apart from these hospitals, several private units operate in rural areas, along with a district hospital and Child PGI in Noida. Some small units are also being run without a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the department, the official added.

"The department has issued notices to 85 out of the 170 hospitals that have capacity of more than five beds over the fire safety violations that were found during the inspections, starting March 11," Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Pradeep Kumar Choubey said, adding, “Some three-four hospitals remain to be inspected.”

The CFO said that during inspections, many hospitals were found to have minor lapses which could be a fire hazard, such as several of these buildings have either blocked or placed temporary structures like flower pots or chained their emergency staircases and exit doors for security reasons.

"Such conditions make it difficult for people to evacuate a building in case of any emergency," Choubey said, adding that “These passages need to be kept smooth and swift for emergency usage.”

He also said that initially, 108 hospitals had failed to meet fire safety norms. However, several of those flaws were rectified later, thereby, the total number of facilities to be issued notices reduced to 85.

"Hospitals must focus on audits of their electric supply systems and load capacity of wires. Eighty per cent of the fire incidents are triggered due to electric short circuits. Electrical audits bring down the risk of fire," the chief fire officer said.

A senior health department official said notices have been sent to all hospitals that have been found flouting the norms and they have been given a month to rectify the errors.

"A committee would also be formed under the Clinical Establishments Act, 2010 to review their status once again and take action accordingly," the official added.