State govt hospitals lack fire safety clearance: MLC
He highlighted the insufficient number of govt hospitals in Karnataka with fire safety clearance during the legislative council session on Monday.
He referred to recent fire accidents and called on the govt to relax regulations for older buildings and establish a timeline for obtaining clearance.
Sarji questioned health and family welfare minister Dinesh Gundu Rao about the discrepancy in fire safety clearances between govt and private hospitals. According to the National Building Code (NBC), both govt and private hospitals are subject to identical regulations.
However, the minister disclosed that only 14 out of 2,878 govt hospitals (0.005%) and 315 out of 5,850 private hospitals (0.05%) have secured fire safety clearance. Pointing out that five district hospitals in the state experienced fire accidents in the past two years, Sarji stressed the importance of ensuring all govt hospitals obtain fire safety clearance. He cited the Shivamogga District McGann Hospital fire accident a few years ago, during which 46 children were safely relocated to Sarji Hospital.
Sarji said that under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, the govt has treated 63 lakh patients, many of whom are referred to private hospitals. He identified the lack of fire safety clearance as a significant problem and urged the govt to consider easing the rules, similar to measures taken in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, where specific fire safety laws for hospitals have been implemented.
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