GMCH old building sans fire fighting system!

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The members of the Board of Visitors (BoV) at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) today expressed their deep concern over the absence of a fire fighting system in the hospital’s old and multi-storeyed building. The lives of thousands of persons including patients and hospital staff are at stake due to the non-availability of the system, the members claimed.

BoV members comprising Iqbal Singh Gill, Mohsin Ahmed, Narayan Kankate and Pravin Shinde inspected the GMCH building from 10 am to 1 pm on Thursday.

The existing multi-storeyed GMCH building is more than 50 years old. The casualty ward and outpatient department (OPD) are on the ground floor, while the other floors have wards from 11 to 30, apart from the operation theatre, ICU, NICU, Labour Room and Kitchen. There could be around 4,000 persons including visitors, patients and hospital staff visiting the building 24x7 on a daily basis. Due to the absence of an adequate number of lifts they are forced to climb up and down for their work through stairs.

Ironically, if any fire accident takes place in the building there are no fire extinguishers, emergency exits and alternate arrangements to evacuate the patients, visitors and hospital staff safely out of the building. BoV members claimed that it is mandatory, but the GMCH administration paid no heed towards it for the past many years.

Adding to the woes, the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) also failed to conduct the fire audit. As per government norms, it should be mandatory for GMCH to instal the fire fighting system on each floor of the multi-storeyed building. Hence the GMCH Dean Dr Sanjay Rathod has been told to instal the firefighting system on top priority to avoid happening of an untoward incident. Meanwhile, the public works department (PWD) has been suggested to construct 12 fire exit windows/doors in the building. GMCH deputy superintendent Dr Vikas Rathod and other HoDs were also present in the meeting, stated the release.