Conduct fire safety audit of private hospitals: Bombay HC

MUMBAI: Observing that patients’ safety was of paramount consideration, the Bombay high court on Thursday directed the state and municipal corporations to conduct an immediate fire safety audit of all private hospitals.
“Again four people have died yesterday in a fire (in Mumbra hospital) in Thane ,’’ said a bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Girish Kulkarni while a hearing a public interest litigation on shortage of Covid-19 medicines, beds and oxygen.
The judges took “serious note” of the Mumbra fire and noted this was not a “solitary incident”. They referred to fires at hospitals in Bhandup and Virar, where 11 and 10 patients each, died and even the “fateful incident” of oxygen leak at a Nashik hospital where 22 patients died. “We don’t want hospitals to be potential jatugrihas,’’ said the CJ, referring to Mahabharata, on how houses of lac were built so that the Pandavas burn to death.
The judges wondered how such hospitals are granted permission to function. Senior advocate Anil Sakhare, for BMC, said because of the pandemic nursing licences were issued. “Hospitals were permitted to admit Covid and non-Covid patients because of the need of the hour,’’ he added. Justice Kulkarni said patient safety was important. “We don’t want any fires now.”
The judges, in their order, noted that all recent fires took place at private hospitals. They directed that failure of any management of a private hospital to put in place adequate fire safety measures must be viewed seriously.