THE evacuation of patients — at least 173 of them and their attendants — from a building that a fire forced at Dhaka Shishu Hospital on April 19 brings to the fore a few issues for the authorities concerned, especially health managers and fire fighters, to attend to. Many of the patients admitted to intensive care units of the hospital had to be taken off oxygen and other medical supports as they struggled out of the building for safety soon after the fire had broken out about 1:45pm, filling the corridors with black smoke and severely panicking the patients and their attendants. The hospital authorities first tried to put out the flames on their own and fire fighters could later put out the flames about 2:40pm. While the fire is reported to have left many equipment damaged, patients and their attendants had to wait under the scorching sun severely dehydrated amidst a heatwave that sweeps over the country and patients admitted to the intensive care units had to languish on the hospital terrace without oxygen support.
But what is more worrying than all that happened is that when the fire fighters arrived, they found that there was not enough water to fight the fire. They had to get water from the National Institute of Mental Health and Hospital nearby. The hospital has a water reservoir but it did not have enough water. Fire service officials said that the hospital had a few fire extinguishers and lacked other fire-fighting facilities such as fire hydrants, which are thought to be primary equipment to fight fire. The director of the hospital, who admits that the reservoir did not have enough water, however, says that members on the staff are trained in tackling fire risks and there were adequate number of fire extinguishers although the situation on the ground suggests otherwise. All this comes down to negligence on part of the hospital and other authorities especially after a series of fires that made the headlines day after day. What is further worrying is that this was the second fire in three days to have broken out in the hospital. The other fire broke out in a ward of the hospital on April 16. The hospital authorities have, meanwhile, set up an investigation with a five-member committee to complete the task in three working days. But what appears even more worrying is that fire service officials say that most hospitals in the country are not compliant with fire safety standards and this could wreak havoc unless the issues are urgently attended to.
Every time a fire breaks out, inadequacy in measures of heading off fire risks give the shudders, be it in restaurants, blocks of flats or hospitals. But hardly there has been any improvement in fire safety measures. All the authorities appear busy somehow ignoring the risks as they know that not much would happen even if they are caught on the wrong side of the laws and regulations. The government must, therefore, tie the loose ends in fire risks before another such incidents, especially in places such as hospitals where people go to save life and not to die.