The ESIC Model Hospital in Basaidarapur village, Delhi, recently failed a fire safety audit conducted by the Delhi Fire Services. The audit revealed numerous shortcomings in the public welfare-oriented hospital’s fire safety measures, including the lack of fire check doors in lift lobbies, the absence of a smoke management system in the basement and upper floors, and the lack of exit signage throughout the hospital.
The hospital, which was commissioned on December 1, 1971, with a bed strength of 150 and spread over 31 acres, currently has 600 commissioned beds and 150 observation beds and provides medical facilities to employees and their families who are covered under the Employees State Insurance (ESI) scheme. There is underutilization of a vast chunk of public land; it could have been appropriately used to provide more than ten times the present-day infrastructure and many more thousands of hospital beds.
ESIC (Employees’ State Insurance Corporation) hospitals come under the Ministry of Labour and Employment in India. The ESIC is a self-financing social security and health insurance scheme for Indian workers and their dependents. The ESIC operates a network of hospitals and dispensaries across the country to provide medical treatment and care to its beneficiaries.
Despite spending crores on the construction of a new OPD building in 2019, the hospital failed the fire audit, which was first conducted on March 21, 2022. During the audit, it was discovered that pressurisation had not been provided in lift lobbies and the basement, and the main and standby pumps which had a capacity of 2,850 litres per minute, but were not set on auto mode. Additionally, the hospital had not provided a fire control room, and floor plans were not displayed in prominent locations. Despite various shortcomings being identified, the hospital management failed to take any action to rectify the issues in the nine months that followed. If a fire ever breaks out here, no doubt media reports will highlight how the issues were already known, but not acted upon.
According to the National Building Code of India 2005, chapter 4, the pressurisation of lift lobbies shall be adopted for high rise buildings and building having mixed occupancy or multiplexes having covered area more than 500 square metres. The main and standby pumps are utilised to pump water in buildings for sprinklers and wet risers in the event of a fire outbreak. The pump’s capacity should be 2,850 litres per minute, and it should be set to automatic mode as starting the pump manually in case of a fire outbreak can be difficult and time consuming.
On December 28, 2022, the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) conducted another inspection and found that the hospital had still not addressed the issues identified in the first audit. The fire service then issued guidelines to not use the premises until the shortcomings were rectified, yet the OPD block remains in use by thousands of patients daily. This failure of the hospital management to take action in response to the fire audit raises serious concerns about the safety of patients, doctors and visitors at the hospital. Fire safety in hospitals is a crucial issue that must be taken seriously to protect both patients and staff. Hospitals are complex buildings with many potential fire hazards, including electrical equipment, flammable materials and many people in close proximity. Additionally, a similar situation has come to light at the ESI Hospital in Delhi’s Jhilmil area, where the DFS has written a letter to the administration regarding non-compliance with fire safety norms. In case of further noncompliance, the water and electricity connections of the hospitals will be discontinued. It is a matter of grave concern that these hospitals are still using premises without rectifying shortcomings pointed out by the DFS.
The Basaidarapur hospital has a daily patient load of 1,500-2,000 in the OPD. The building also includes a canteen and a branch of the State Bank of India, for the convenience of patients and visitors. In the OPD, there are 200-300 patients admitted and around 150-200 staff members, including the deputy director of administration and additional medical superintendent (AMS). There are also others who may be visiting for purchasing medicines or to get a COVID-19 vaccine, for instance.
In the event of a fire, the consequences can be devastating, leading to injury and even death. Therefore, it is essential that hospitals have comprehensive fire safety plans in place to minimise the risk and to ensure that everyone is prepared to respond quickly and effectively in the event of an emergency. On January 27, 2023, a complaint letter (by the author who resides near the hospital) was filed to the hospital management and he met the AMS of the hospital Dr Sanjay Mishra and deputy director of administration S.P. Pandey. Both individuals stated that the rectifications were the responsibility of the headquarters and that they had written many letters to the headquarters about the issue. They also stated that the contractor who constructed the building was responsible for rectifying the issues.
However, the question arises as to how the contractor was able to receive completion certificates of the building from the civil authorities and hospital management without adhering to basic fire safety guidelines outlined in the National Building Code 2005, chapter 4. This raises serious concerns about the negligence and lack of accountability on the part of the contractor and civil authorities.
It is imperative that the hospital management takes immediate action to correct the deficiencies identified in the fire safety audit and that those involved in this serious issue are held accountable. The safety of patients, doctors and visitors should be the top priority and any negligence or lack of action in ensuring this safety is unacceptable. It is the duty of the hospital management to ensure that the hospital is equipped with the necessary fire safety measures and that all employees are trained to handle fire emergencies. Furthermore, it is also the duty of the authorities to ensure that contractors follow the fire safety guidelines while constructing buildings.
Aditya Tanwar is a social entrepreneur from Delhi’s Naraina village and a Member of the Centre for Youth Culture Law and Environment (CYCLE), a Delhi based research and advocacy organization for the Delhi villages.
Edited by Jahnavi Sen.