Karachi’s government hospitals lack fire alarms, endangering patient safety.
Karachi: (RightNow) Following a fire incident at Islamabad’s PIMS Hospital, it has been revealed that major government hospitals in Karachi lack fire alarm systems. There is a deficiency in fire safety arrangements across various hospitals.
According to hospital sources, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital under KMC has only 13 fire extinguishers. The staff has not received regular training in fire drills or fire safety. The hospital lacks a fire alarm system and has no designated emergency exit route.
Hundreds of patients visit the emergency department of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital daily, while over a thousand attend the OPD. One of the hospital’s two generators is reserved for backup.
The MS of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital stated that further steps are being taken regarding the fire system. Jinnah Hospital has fire extinguishers, but many are non-functional. The fire alarm system is also not installed.
It is noteworthy that the last fire drill at Jinnah Hospital was conducted in 2017. The Joint Executive Director mentioned the need to form a firefighting team and will write to the Sindh government for further staff training.
