Ensure fire safety measures in hospitals : MHA
Ministry of Home Affairs has sent advisory to all states / UTs to ensure proper fire safety in all health facilities to take utmost precaution when the country is fighting pandemic.
Union Home Secretary said that occurrence of various fire incidents in hospitals and nursing homes in recent past and non-adherence of fire safety measures by authorities in their respective jurisdiction were a matter of concern.
Directorate General (Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards) in the Ministry of Home Affairs has been regularly issuing advisories to the states so that suitable directions may be issued to ensure compliance of fire safety guidelines and to ensure compliance of fire safety guidelines and to ensure that proper fire safety measures are put in place.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has also issued guidelines for hospital safety by laying down the provisions to establish the minimum requirement for a reasonable degree of safety from fire emergencies in healthcare facilities.
MHA advisory to states / UTs urging them to ensure compliance of above advisories and direct all concerned to immediately re-inspect/re-check all hospitals/nursing homes from the point of view of fire protection and means of escape to prevent recurrence of such fire incidences in future.
The states have also been asked to submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) with the MHA at the earliest.