The fire that broke out at the SUM Hospital and Medical College at Bhubaneshwar in Odisha that left at least 21 persons dead and more than 100 others injured should serve as a wake-up call for hospitals in Goa to take necessary steps in order to prevent such incidents.
It should be made mandatory for both government and private hospitals in the state to get a fire safety clearance certificate from the fire department with regard to compliance of the fire prevention and safety measures in the hospital building. It is understood that in Odisha only three of 568 hospitals meet fire-safety norms. It seems necessary to carry out a survey of all the government and private hospitals in Goa to find out how many hospitals meet the fire safety norms. Some of the fire safety measures to taken in the hospitals include making fire-extinguishers available at prominent places. Storage of water to fight fire. Sand buckets have to be installed at prominent places. Fire alarms with proper signage as well as smoke and heat detectors need to be installed. Hospital buildings should also have fire-escapes to be used in case of an emergency. What is also important is imparting proper training of fire-fighting system for the hospital staff and the security personnel. Mock fire drills must be conducted at regular intervals. Evacuation plans need to be in place in case of a fire. All evacuation routes should be prominently displayed on the wall. All electrical points need to undergo periodic check in order to prevent fires due to short circuit. Electrical equipment used in the hospital should also be checked periodically for any leakages of electric current. Hospital linen should be properly stored and all dirty linen should be immediately shifted for washing. An audit of the fire fighting equipment available in the hospital needs to be maintained which could be checked periodically by the fire department personnel. Fortunately hospitals in the state did not experience a major fire incident. But it is always wise to be safe than sorry.
Major hospitals like the Goa Medical College Hospital (GMC) at Bambolim, the Hospicio Hospital in Margao and the Asilo Hospital at Mapusa need to meet all the fire safety norms. God forbid a fire in any of these hospitals could prove disastrous given the number of people who visit or are admitted in these hospitals on any given day.
