Indore (Madhya Pradesh): After giving multiple deadlines for producing fire safety NOC, the health department and district administration have decided to take action against hospitals which do not have fire safety facilities. The district administration has decided to constitute a team of officials of the health department, district administration and fire department which will inspect hospitals and take action against those who fail to obtain an NOC.
A day after an inferno devastated a private hospital in Jabalpur, the health department had served notice to all the hospitals for submitting the NOC to ensure fire safety in their buildings and also to update their records.
“Out of 331 hospitals registered in city, only 72 have uploaded their fire safety NOC so far. The committee will verify the facilities in these hospitals while inspection of other hospitals will also be done for ensuring patients’ safety there,” acting chief medical and health officer Dr Pradeep Goyal said. He added that there were different norms for different categories of hospitals and action would be taken against them according to the rules and regulations.
Hospitals running in residential buildings
Many hospital owners in the city are facing trouble in getting renewal of their registration without a fire safety NOC as the government has made it mandatory, but Indore Municipal Corporation has refused to give NOCs to hospitals running in residential buildings and asked them to convert them into commercial ones.
‘Many old hospitals have also come into a dense residential area due to which it has become hard for them to make fire safety arrangements similar to corporate hospitals. Doctors have also met the mayor seeking relaxation in the rules, but to no avail,’ health department officials said.
About 60 hospitals in the city are now running without a fire safety NOC and renewal of their registration, but no action has been taken by the health department, so far.
