 "A file picture of the fire that took place at a makeshift Covid facility in Vijayawada")
The Centre informed the Supreme Court that it has directed all states and Union Territories (UTs) to send status report by December 4 on the implementation of fire safety guidelines to prevent fire incidents in hospitals or nursing homes.
It said the Union Home Secretary has directed all the Chief Secretaries of states to ensure due compliance of the November 28 directives regarding fire safety guidelines and to immediately re-inspect all hospitals or nursing homes from the view of protection as also means of escape to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future.
The government has told the apex court that all states and UTs have been asked to send their action taken reports (ATRs) on the enquiry conducted by them on fire incidents that have occurred in hospitals or nursing homes in the last five years.
The Centre has said this in its affidavit filed in the top court, which had on November 27 taken cognisance of the recent fire incident in a designated COVID-19 hospital in Gujarat's Rajkot in which several patients had died.
It referred to a November 28 letter of the Directorate General (Fire Services, Civil Defence & Home Guards), Ministry of Home Affairs which was addressed to chief secretaries of all the states and UTs in this regard.
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All the states and UTs are directed to undertake short duration training and awareness programme for hospital staff/ doctors/ managers/ authorities as per the training programme which has been enclosed by the MHA along with its OM dated November 28, 2020, it said while referring to the letter.
It has also been directed by the Central government while undertaking short duration training and awareness programme for hospital staff/ doctors/ managers/authorities should also conduct mock drills. The implementation report under this head is directed to be submitted by all the states and UTs by January 31, 2021, the affidavit said.
It said all the states and UTs have been directed to carry out regular inspection and re-inspection of hospitals and nursing homes to ensure strict compliance of the implementation of fire safety measures as stipulated in various Act and codes, either by fire officers or third-party fire safety auditors.
It said all the states and UTs have been directed to update their respective local building Bye-laws or Fire Service Act and to align and make them sync in line with 'Model Bill on Maintenance of Fire & Emergency Services 2019' circulated by Ministry of Home Affairs on September 16, 2019 read with other advisories issued from time to time under National Building Code of India.
All the states and UTs to send the status report on implementation of the fire safety guidelines as provided in the various advisories, issued from time to time as quoted in the letter, to prevent recurrence of fire accidents in hospitals/nursing homes. The status report under this head is to be submitted to MHA by all the states and the UTs latest by December 4, 2020, it said.
The affidavit, while referring to the November 28 letter, said all states and UTs have been asked to send the status of no objection certificates issued to the hospitals or nursing homes and their renewals.
It said the Centre has taken serious cognisance of fire incidents happening in hospitals in various parts of the country, including the Rajkot incident.
It is submitted that to ensure that adequate safety measures are put in place by the respective state government's as per the applicable rules and guidelines and to ensure that such incidents do not happen again, the Central Government, through the Home Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, vide a letter dated November 30.addressed to all the chief secretaries of the states and UTs, has raised a serious concern for non-adherence of the fire safety measures by the authorities in the respective states/UTs, it said.
The Union Home Secretary has also directed states and UTs to submit an ATR on the aforesaid directions at the earliest, it said.
The Central government is constantly monitoring the COVID and health care infrastructure situation in the country. Health is a State subject. Primary responsibility of providing adequate health infrastructure and management of public healthcare system to provide highest possible healthcare vests with the state governments.
"Central government is making all out efforts to provide support to obviate gaps in health care delivery, wherever required, the affidavit said.
The apex court had on November 27 taken cognisance of fire outbreak in the ICU of a designated COVID hospital at Rajkot in Gujarat in which five patients died and had pulled up the states for not taking any concrete action to mitigate the problem despite repeated instances.
The issue had cropped up before the top court which was hearing the matter in which it had taken cognisance regarding need for proper treatment of COVID-19 patients and dignified handling of dead bodies in the hospitals.
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