Fire safety lapses found at Hyderabad hospitals

HYDERABAD: Serious fire safety deficiencies have been uncovered at several government hospitals and public buildings in Hyderabad, Sindh’s second-largest city, with eight buildings sealed over violations.

An initial fire safety audit found that several hospitals lacked essential firefighting equipment, including critical areas such as intensive care units and children’s nurseries.

According to the preliminary audit report prepared by Assistant Commissioner City Noor Hussain, Liaquat University Hospital was among the facilities where significant shortcomings were identified.

The hospital’s emergency intensive care unit and paediatric nursery reportedly did not have adequate firefighting equipment. Inspectors also found obstructions at an emergency fire exit during the inspection.

Some fire extinguishers installed at the hospital had also expired, raising concerns about the facility’s preparedness to respond to an emergency.

Similar deficiencies were reportedly found at Bhitai and several other government hospitals across the city.

Hyderabad Deputy Commissioner Zain-ul-Abideen said authorities had conducted fire safety audits of 728 buildings, including 23 government hospitals.

The audit found a lack of required safety equipment in 36 buildings, while eight buildings were sealed over serious safety violations.

The findings have raised concerns about the preparedness of hospitals and other public facilities to deal with fires and other emergencies.

Citizens have called for immediate corrective measures, saying that while identifying shortcomings through fire safety audits is important, authorities must ensure that essential safety arrangements are put in place without delay.

They also urged relevant departments to regularly inspect firefighting equipment, keep emergency exits clear and ensure that hospitals, particularly critical care units and nurseries, have adequate emergency response facilities.