NHRC notice to Odisha govt on hospital fire

Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports on the fire at Sum Hospital that claimed 21 lives here, the National Human Rights Commission today issued notice to Odisha Government seeking a report in six weeks.
The Commission issued notice to the state government through its chief secretary calling for a report, including relief and rehabilitation granted to the next of kin of the deceased and the injured, within six weeks, a release from NHRC said.
The chief secretary has also been asked to inform about the steps/ precautions taken or proposed to be taken by the state government to prevent recurrence of such mishaps, the release said.

The Commission has observed that callous attitude and lapses of the authorities, if any, amount to violation of right to life of the patients. It has expressed shock how the state authorities allowed such a large number of hospitals to function without proper fire safety clearance, it said.
Reportedly, the hospital in question was warned in 2013 for not keeping the safety measures, but the hospital authorities ignored it, the NHRC release said adding that in Odisha, out of 568 hospitals, only 3 have clearance of the department of fire safety.