PIMS tragedy exposes city hospitals' safety gaps

The deadly blaze at the nursery of Islamabad's PIMS Hospital has raised serious questions over fire safety arrangements at major government-run hospitals in the metropolis, with inadequate facilities reported at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) and shortcomings identified at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).

The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC)-run Abbasi Shaheed Hospital has only 13 fire extinguishers for the entire facility, sources told The Express Tribune. No fire drill has ever been conducted at the hospital, nor has its staff received formal fire safety training, the sources added.

The hospital also lacks a fire alarm system and has no dedicated emergency exit. In case of an emergency, patients and staff would have to rely on staircases for evacuation, they said. The hospital's emergency department receives between 500 and 600 patients daily, while more than 1,000 patients visit its outpatient department (OPD). Meanwhile, questions have also been raised over fire safety arrangements at JPMC.

Sources said fire extinguishers had been installed in every ward, but several were not functional. The hospital also lacks a fire alarm system, while its last fire drill was conducted in 2017, according to the sources.

JPMC Joint Executive Director Dr Suleman confirmed that the last formal fire drill was held in 2017. He said there was approximately one fire extinguisher in each ward and that a dedicated firefighting team was being established at the hospital.

JPMC spokesperson Dr Waqas Khan said the hospital had more than 2,200 inpatient beds and its emergency department received over 2,000 patients daily. More than 10,000 patients also visit JPMC's OPDs every day, according to hospital officials. Officials said public hospitals in Karachi did not have dedicated fire and rescue departments, although firefighting equipment and trained personnel were available.

The officials claimed that firefighting equipment has been installed in all wards of JPMC, while a number of doctors and staff members have received firefighting training. Fire safety arrangements are also available in the paediatric department and nursery.

Emergency exits have also been provided in the emergency department and other wards and sections of the hospital, officials said. They added that trained staff could handle small-scale fires, while the KMC Fire Brigade and Rescue 1122 would be called in the event of a major blaze.

Meanwhile, JPMC administrative staff, under the supervision of officer Yousuf Bhatti, conducted a practical firefighting exercise as part of the hospital's emergency preparedness measures.

The situation at Civil Hospital Karachi, however, appeared comparatively better.

Medical Superintendent Dr Khalid Bukhari said the hospital had 180 fire extinguishers, all of which were fully operational. He said fire drills were conducted twice a year to ensure staff preparedness in case of an emergency.