HYDERABAD: All major government hospitals in Hyderabad are disasters-in-the-making. Even a minor fire accident can engulf the entire premises and dozens of lives can be lost easily. It is ironical the state government itself has failed in implementing their rules for fire safety. The major government hospitals mainly Osmania General Hospital, Gandhi General Hospital, Government Maternity Hospital at Sultan Bazar, the Maternity Hospital at Petlaburz, Niloufer Hospital in Red Hills, Chest Hospital at Erragadda, ENT Hospital at Koti and Sarojini Devi Hospital at Mehdipatnam lack basic fire safety.Inspections made by Express at Nayapul and Sultan Bazar Maternity Hospital, Osmania, Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital and Niloufer Hospital found they did not follow any fire safety norms. Even officials of the district medical and health department admitted that almost all government hospitals lack basic fire safety equipment.The newly-built maternity hospital at Petlaburz lacks fire safety equipment. This 460- bedded hospital attracts hundreds of women daily from across the state but due to lack of beds, one can find two women patients on one bed.The district medical and health officer Uma Maheswari, who herself worked earlier as its superintendent says she had brought to notice of the department to install fire safety equipment on several occasions, but no action has been taken in this regard.The same is the case with the Sultan Bazar maternity hospital. One can hardly find any fire safety equipment in the premises. The situation in the remaining hospitals is hardly any better with no attention being give to fire safety.Speaking about the lack of safety measures, the DMHO said that revised notices are going issued to all government hospitals asking them to install fire safety equipment.“Rules apply to private and government hospitals equally, so the former have to adhere to fire safety rules,” GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu told Express.He said if the hospital managements failed to adhere to the safety norms within the stipulated time-frame, action will be taken under the Andhra Pradesh Fire Safety Act 1999 and Andhra Pradesh Allopathic Medical Care Establishment Act. The hospitals have been directed to rectify deficiencies in fire and life safety measures within one month from the receipt of notice from the fire department and GHMC.The Andhra Pradesh High Court in January 2006 had directed that all multi-storeyed structures which have been raised without obtaining No-Objection Certificate and have not been occupied so far should not be issued occupancy certificates and should not be supplied with any public amenities like water, electricity, sewerage connection by civic departments.
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