Lucknow’s SGPGI ill-equipped to handle large fire incidents, say staff

The Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) is barely prepared to handle a fire of the magnitude that engulfed parts of AIIMS, New Delhi on Saturday, insiders said.

“The institute administration will face a Herculean task to save lives of patients and attendants in case of a fire, as there are no markers and signs etc to guide people for exiting the wards,” they said.

“Adding to the risky situation, the emergency gates remain locked, and so in case of emergency, the exit process could be life-threatening,” they added.

However, PGI director professor Rakesh Kapoor says the institute has taken steps and eliminated possible causes of fire. He also said the institute was fully prepared to meet any emergency.

Also, some institute officials said PGI has taken utmost care to prevent such incidents and that “PGI is one of the safest hospitals in the country because of its unique design, which prevents fire from spreading to other units and stories.”

But a senior doctor, who did not want to be named, said: “Inadequate number of exit points and the jam-packed nature of PGI, always full of patients and attendants, can make it a risky place in case of a fire.”

The doctor added, “When the hospital first came up, it was not sealed for air-conditioning. At that time it had open corridors, bringing in fresh air, and also had a number of entrance and exit points. However, the administrators opted for closing down several entrance and exit points and packing it for total air-conditioning. Presently, the hospital has two ramps and two staircases for evacuation of patients in case of fire in the nine-story hospital, as use of lift is not allowed in cases of emergency.”

There have been around eight cases of fire on the PGI premises during last ten years, the most recent one being inside the animal house in November 2016.

The PGI director further says, “SGPGIMS has learnt from the previous incidents and identified some vulnerable spots for fire. The administration has placed more fire-fighting equipment at these places, besides changing all the wiring, electricity panels and switches so that chances of fire was reduced.”

Kapoor added: “Because of the steps taken by PGI, it has become one of the safest hospitals of the country. The fire-fighting arrangements are one of the best and all arrangements are examined periodically by experts.”

Smoke alarms are placed all over the building that is fully air-conditioned. “In case of emergency, all the wards have a hammer and glass-cutters placed at important points,” Kapoor said.

He said the staff members know the emergency exit points in every ward and they can open these exit points in cases of fire. “Besides that fire hydrants are present at every possible point for dousing a fire,” he added.

First Published: Aug 18, 2019 18:31 IST