Hospital safety: Fire breaks out at Ganga Ram Hospital

Three women patients fall unconscious.

LAHORE: Equipment worth thousands of rupees burned down in a fire that broke out at Emergency Department of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Sunday, Rescue-1122 said. No casualties were reported.

Rescue-1122 spokesman Jam Sajjad said they had received a call at around 1:20pm that Emergency Department had filled with the smoke rising from smoldering wires and other equipment.

The labour room of Gynecology Ward on the third floor was also affected by the smoke.

He said a team of fire fighters put out the fire in an hour. They also evacuated the patients with help from their relatives.

Rescue official, Muhammad Shahid, told The Express Tribune the fire had erupted due to short circuiting in the hospital’s air-conditioning unit.

He said the smoke had entered the Labour Room through air conditioning ducts, leaving three women unconscious. The affected patients were taken to Services Hospital’s emergency ward.

A number of patients were also shifted from Emergency Department.

Attendants of some patients accused the hospital staff of being “selfish”. They said the staff had fled the ward as soon as the fire broke out, leaving the patients to their attendants.

The air-conditioning system on the ground, first and second floors of the hospital broke down following the fire.

The hospital administration said air conditioners on the ground and first floor had been made operational by Sunday evening. However, they said, it would take at least two days to repair air conditioners on the second floor.

The administration announced that Gynecology Ward would remain closed for at least 72 hours.

Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khwaja Salman Rafique visited the hospital. He ordered an inquiry and asked the administration to take appropriate steps to provide relief to the patients affected by the fire.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14^th, 2014.