Punjab to conduct safety audit of all Covid-19 facilities

CHANDIGARH: After recent incidents of fire in a private Ahmedabad Covid-19 hospital and a Vijayawada Covid care facility, in which 18 patients were killed, the Punjab government has decided to conduct safety audit of all health facilities treating patients infected with the coronavirus.
There are nine level I, 57 level II and 56 level III Covid-19 health facilities, both government and private, across the state. Many facilities have been temporarily set up by the government in buildings belonging to educational institutes, both schools and colleges, and charitable institutions. If officials are to be believed, majority of the hospitals are equipped with safety equipment as no objection certificate from fire department is mandatory for getting a completion certificate. The officials, however, did not rule out the possibility of quite a few converted Covid care centres not having the required fire safety equipment.
The Punjab State Information Commission (PSIC) had recently expressed apprehension about many schools in the state not complying with the laid down standards of building and fire safety norms.
Keeping safety in mind, the commission had directed all the schools to make their safety certificates public.
To ensure adequate safety measures, the director health services has directed civil surgeons to carry out safety audits of all the government and private facilities designated for treatment and isolation of Covid-19 patients in their respective districts.
Secial teams comprising experts will be constituted in each district for conducting the audit in which they will check availability and working of fire detection alarms, availability and placement of fire extinguisher, sprinkler system and internal and external hydrant systems.
The government has also decided to conduct a mock drill to check preparedness for accidental fire. Special training will also be imparted to the designated first responders in the Covid-19 treatment facilities. The state government has also laid stress on periodic updating of contingency plans.
Dr Paramjit Mann, general secretary, IMA, Punjab, maintained that safety norms must be followed by all and the government is doing the right thing by conducting a safety audit of all the facilities. He, however, urged that the private health centres should not be harassed by the officials in the name of audit.
Punjab health department spokesperson for Covid-19, Dr Rajesh Bhaskar said majority of hospitals have the required safety equipment. The centres found not fulfilling the norms will be asked to take necessary sire safety measures, he added.