Over 400 hospitals in Dhaka city lack proper fire safety measures, a Fire Service and Civil Defense survey has found.
According to the findings, 422 among a total of 433 hospitals in Dhaka are in fire risks and the hospital authorities are not paying heed to repeated warning from the Fire Service.
The recent fire incident in Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital (ShSMCH) has drawn attention to the hospitals’ lack of fire safety measures.
However, most of the hospitals’ authorities are still reluctant about installing proper fire security equipment to ensure safety for the patients.
The cause of ShSMCH fire, which broke out on Feb 14, is yet to be determined.
It took more than two hours to 16 fire-fighting units to put out the flames, which forced the authorities to evacuate the patients.
Given the state-owned hospitals are at fire risks, people are left to wonder where they can avail safe healthcare.
ShSMCH has opened an inquiry over the incident and the seven-strong panel led by its Director Uttam Kumar Barua is expected to file its finding by seven working days.
The fire department study on Dhaka hospitals categorized ShSMCH as vulnerable and said that the hospital authorities had been warned about. It said that the fire service had even conducted rescue drills.
Speaking to Bangla Tribune, ShSMCH Director Barua said, “The drills were conducted some five to six months before the Feb 14 fire, which helped us a great deal on evacuating patients after the flames erupted.”
The Fire Service has opened a separate probe, which was supposed to submit a report within three working days. However, it’s yet to be filed.
When asked about it, Fire Service Deputy Director (Operation and Maintenance) Dilip Kumar Ghosh told Bangla Tribune, “We are still working on it. The extent of damage has not yet been determined. It will take some time to estimate the damages.”
The fire department study on Dhaka hospitals also found that 173 hospitals have no fire safety measures at all.
Fire Service prepared the list of hospitals and categorized those in three types after two rounds of inspections in early and late 2017.
Based on fire safety measures and capability, 173 hospitals were listed as ‘Extremely Risky’ 249 as ‘Risky’ and only 11 were categorized as ‘Satisfactory’.
According to fire service officials, the risky hospitals were served with notice on three occasions asking them to improve their fire safety measures.
They were even provided with specific set of guidelines on setting up proper fire safety measures. But, the managements of those hospitals didn’t bother to comply.
The fire safety status of the hospitals were determined based on housing capacity of the hospital buildings, whether the buildings have basements or not, number of stairs and how spacious they are, number of emergency exit stairs, number of lifts, availability of rooms for generator, transformer, switch gear, pump and fire control, installation of smoke or heat detectors in each floor, etc.
Fire Service Director General Ali Ahmad Khan told Bangla Tribune that the listed hospitals are being pressured through the concerned ministry to take necessary fire safety measures.
Elaborating on the government’s steps in this regard, Directorate General of Health Services Director Abul Kalam Azad told Bangla Tribune, “Immediately after the ShSMCH fire incident the health minister has said the administration will move to upgrade the fire extinguishing systems in existing hospitals and ensure that all new hospitals and clinics comply to the safety measures before they start operation.”
He also said that fire drills would be arranged on a regular basis.
Urging the media’s assistance in this regard, he said, “The health ministry, law ministry and finance ministry will soon sit together to address the matter.”
“Important decisions will be taken in the meeting and we will do our best to overcome the current situation as early as possible,” added Azad.
The ‘Extremely risky' hospitals include, National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital, National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital, National Institute of ENT, Metropolitan Medical Center, Hi-Tech Modern Psychiatric Hospital, SPRC and Neurology Hospital, Farmgate's Al Razi Hospital, Brain and Life Care Hospital, Tejgaon Thana Health Complex , CPHD General Hospital, Kidney Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, Gulshan’s Protroy Medical Clinic, Promises Medical Ltd, Gulshan’s Maa O Shishu Clinic, RA Hospital and Institute of Education and Training, Badda General Hospital, etc.
The ‘Risky’ category include, Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical Hospital, BIRDEM Hospital, BIRDEM General Hospital, Sir Salimullah Medical College and Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and Hospital, National Institute of Mental Health Institute Hospital, National Institute of Ophthalmology & Hospital, National Institute of Neuroscience and Hospital, National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedic Rehabilitation, Dhaka Mohanagar General Hospital, Nazira Bazar Matrisnan Hospital, Mohakhali's ICDDRB Hospital, Holy Family Red Crescent, Monowara Hospital Private Limited, Ad-Din Medical College Hospital, MH Samorita Hospital and Medical College, Labaid Hospital, Popular Diagnostic Center, Islamic Bank Hospital, Ibn Sina Medical College Hospital, Marie Stopes Bangladesh, Ibrahim General Hospital, Mirpur Holy Crescent Hospital and Diagnostic Complex, Sikder Medical College and Hospital, Government Unani and Ayurvedic Degree College and Hospital, Dhanmondi General and Kidney Hospital, Dhanmondi Kidney Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, BSOH Hospital, Panorama Hospital General Hospital Limited Limited and Dhanmondi’s Medi Aid Hospital Limited.