Preventing an inferno

CHENNAI: Illness, disease, death, treatment and recovery — that pretty much sums up the definition of a hospital. A place every human being visits several times in his/her life, it’s also the nature of the facility to be accident-prone. Which is why there are innumerable safety measures, rules and protocols that are implemented in every hospital.

The fire accident at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) in April is a fine example of how safety measures are paramount at any healthcare facility. After that accident, the government hospitals have been instructed to comply with fire safety measures and ensure adequate arrangements of fire safety facilities by the State Health Department after safety audits.

“We’ve made the changes suggested by the Fire and Rescue Department to ensure better fire safety arrangements at the hospital after the accident. We had the hydrant system in place at the hospital, due to which the accident was handled effectively without major damage or loss,” said Dr E Theranirajan, dean, RGGGH. “We’ve received the Fire and Safety certificate for tower 1 and tower 2, while the same for tower 3 is also being obtained. Every equipment is checked and has been put in place.”

He added that the hospital authorities had requested the fire and safety department to conduct a periodic sensitisation programme. “This is to train the staff in handling any such accidents in future,” Theranirajan said.

Training staff in fire safety measures

Several other government hospitals including Stanley Medical College and Hospital, and Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital have undertaken the training programme for the hospital staff after the accident.

“We’ve instructed all the departments to comply with fire safety measures. One official has been designated to check for fire safety arrangements and also make other structural strengthening changes on all the floors of the hospital. They have submitted a report based on the inspection and we’ll carry out the changes required to ensure that the hospital premises is safe,” explained Theranirajan.

Meanwhile, a senior official from the Fire Safety and Rescue Department said that since the department only holds a disciplinary role, it can only offer recommendations to ensure safety in case of such accidents. However, no penalty can be imposed for those who do not comply with the standard fire and safety criteria.

Violations in private hospitals

Meanwhile, several private hospitals in the city do not comply with the same and lack of adequate fire safety arrangements in such institutions can be a risk.

A newly inaugurated private hospital in Vadapalani that lacks adequate space for evacuation of patients in case of emergency is one such example. Meanwhile, another hospital in Shenoy Nagar is operating few parts of the hospital that do not have adequate fire safety arrangements for the building.

The public interest litigation by activist Jawaharlal Shanmugan after inspection of hospitals in 2017-18 is a stark reminder of the fire safety lapses in several hospitals in the city. However, during the pandemic, the safety arrangements took a backseat, due to the alarming number of COVID-19 cases. So, patients were admitted to buildings that did not complying with the fire safety arrangements.

“We’ve asked all private hospitals to obtain fire safety certificate. We’ll not register hospitals that do not produce the same. In case of any breach, the licence is temporarily cancelled and only if they follow the suggested recommendations by the Fire Safety and Rescue department, we revoke the same,” said Dr S Gurunathan, Directorate of Medical Services.

No evacuation plans

The lack of evacuation plans at several private hospitals showcases a system that enables the absence of enforcement of fire safety measures.

“The private hospitals should have a clear display of fire exits. A route map of fire exit points should be printed and displayed on all the floors, as per fire safety guidelines. We’ve not received any specific complaints, but 6,000 inspections were conducted in Chennai to check fire safety norms,” he said.

Activist Jawaharlal suggests Tamil Nadu introduce an undergraduate degree, “or some form of curriculum, related to Hospital Disaster Management and Patient Safety so evacuation can be handled efficiently. It’s of paramount importance, especially considering the poor regulatory and enforcement mechanisms we have in our country. Though Tamil Nadu stands at a better position among all the other States in the country, we should do more to ensure prevention of fire accidents.”

Are you in Chennai? Then click here to get our newspaper at your doorstep!