Two Reports, Zero Action: Fires at Maharashtra Hospitals Expose Negligence

The fire at one of the intensive care units of the Ahmednagar government hospital in Maharashtra on Saturday, in which, at least, 11 COVID-19 patients were asphyxiated to death, was not the first one in the state in recent times. Amid the ritualistic visit of ministers to the hospital and chief minister Uddhav Thackeray ordering a probe into the accident, no solution has been found to prevent such frequent fires at the state’s hospitals.

Newsclick compiled a list of such accidents Maharashtra this year. On January 9, 11 newborn babies were killed in a fire at Bhandara district hospital. On March 25, 11 patients died when a fire destroyed the Bhandup COVID-19 hospital. On April 2, four patients were killed in a fire at a private hospital in Nagpur. On April 21, 22 patients died due to an oxygen tank leak at Nasik’s COVID-19 hospital. On the same day, four patients died in a fire at a hospital in Mumbra. And on April 23, 15 patients died in a fire at a private hospital.

According to the state health directorate, there are 3,224 private hospitals, 473 government ones, 21 government medical colleges, 20 jumbo hospitals and 31 private medical colleges. After Bhandara hospital fire, the first such accident this year, the Maharashtra government set up a committee to investigate and make suggestions on preventing fires in hospitals. The committee, headed by deputy commissioner Prabhat Rahangdale (disaster management) of Brihanmumbai Municipal Commission, submitted its report in February.

The committee made the following suggestions on preventing fires at hospitals: 

• There should be an electric audit of all buildings in the state. 

• Employees of all hospitals should be given basic training regarding fire prevention. 

• All major buildings must have fire wardens as well as volunteers for fire-fighting. 

• Empowerment of state fire control services. 

• A new recruitment system in state fire control services. 

• A fullproof regular control-and-check system for life-saving machineries at all hospitals. 

• Separate budget for fire prevention at hospitals. 

The state’s urban development department has been sitting on the report for the last eight months. A proposal to recruit 138 persons to the fire control services was cleared but the posts remain vacant. 

This was not the first such committee formed by the state government. The State Oxygen Audit Committee, under then-commissioner of the social justice department Prashant Nanaware, was constituted following the fires and the oxygen leak at the hospitals in April. This committee’s report mentioned various shortcomings regarding fire prevention and electric systems, structural deficiency and oxygen supply. More than 2,000 private hospitals in the state had claimed to have completed fire audits but never submitted reports to the health directorate, the report revealed.

The report, submitted in June, found the following shortcomings at Maharashtra’s hospitals: 

• Hospitals don’t have emergency numbers in case of fire or similar incidents. 

• No record of regular checks. 

• Fire extinguishers at many hospitals had expired. 

• No engineer was appointed to look after fire services. 

• Security cameras were not used. 

Sources in the health department informed Newsclick that the department has sought Rs 217 crore for fire prevention systems and audits at 550 government hospitals. Health minister Rajesh Tope told reporters on Sunday that

separate funds will be earmarked for fire safety audits.

"Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has given instructions to undertake measures to prevent such fire incidents. There is also a proposal to form a new post of fire safety officer at each district hospital. Moreover, health workers will be trained to deal with such situations, and activities like mock drills will be implemented,” Tope said.