Fire safety lapses exposed at Sindh public hospitals

Most facilities lack alarms, sprinklers and regular drills; several fail to submit safety reports

KARACHI:

A fire safety assessment of government hospitals in Sindh following the PIMS tragedy has exposed serious shortcomings, with most facilities lacking basic firefighting systems and several failing to submit the required reports to the provincial health department.

The report, sought by the Sindh Health Department after the deadly hospital fire, assessed fire safety arrangements at 22 government hospitals and medical institutions across the province.

It revealed that several major hospitals, particularly in Karachi, lacked fire alarm systems, water sprinklers and adequate firefighting arrangements.

At the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), 208 fire extinguishers were reported to be functional, but the hospital had no fire alarm or sprinkler system. The 2,208-bed facility's electrical wiring was also described as old and in need of repair.

The JPMC administration said it had not been provided the Rs180 million repair budget during the current financial year. It added that the hospital's machinery largely depended on electricity and that funds were urgently required for the maintenance of electrical equipment.

The National Institute of Child Health (NICH) was found to have 40 faulty fire extinguishers out of 135. The 533-bed children's hospital has no fire alarm system and does not conduct fire drills, while its electrical wiring requires extensive repairs.

At the 700-bed Lyari General Hospital, electrically operated equipment requires urgent maintenance. The hospital has no water sprinkler system and does not conduct fire drills regularly.

The Qatar Hospital, with 410 beds, has only 25 functional fire extinguishers and no fire alarm system. The report also highlighted a severe shortage of funds for maintenance, while no fire drills were being conducted.

Similarly, Saudabad Hospital has 18 fire extinguishers but no fire alarm system or regular fire drills.

In Sukkur, the report found that the safety exit of the children's ward at GMMMC Hospital was not clear. The facility has only 20 fire extinguishers and lacks fire alarms and sprinklers.

The SAMS Hospital in Shahdadpur has only five fire extinguishers and no fire alarm system.

At LUMHS Hyderabad, 110 fire extinguishers were reported to be functional, but the hospital lacked fire alarms and sprinklers. At LUMHS Jamshoro, 32 fire extinguishers were available, while fire alarms and sprinklers were absent.

However, some institutions reported relatively better arrangements.