Fire Safety Regulations Must Be Strictly Followed in Hospitals - Damodar

Health Minister Damodar Rajanarsimha has directed officials to conduct fire and electrical safety audits in all government and private hospitals once every six months. During a high-level review meeting at the Secretariat on Thursday, the minister said immediate corrective measures must be taken whenever deficiencies are identified during fire safety audits. He also called for strengthening the monitoring mechanism to ensure that hospital managements and officials strictly comply with fire safety regulations.

The minister said comprehensive fire safety guidelines would be issued for hospitals and a special government order with a detailed checklist would be brought in. He also announced that dedicated funds would be allocated for the maintenance of firefighting and electrical equipment. Special Chief Secretary of the Energy Department Naveen Mittal, Health Department Secretary Christina, Fire Services DG Vikram Singh Mann and Commissioner of Family Welfare and Health Welfare Sangeeta Satyanarayana, among others, attended the meeting.