Maharashtra: Aurangabad civic body to inspect fire system at hospitals

Aurangabad (PTI): Against the backdrop of the Bhandara hospital fire tragedy in which ten newborns lost their lives on January 9, the Aurangabad civic body will inspect all hospitals in the district to check their preparedness to meet any eventuality, an official said on Tuesday.

Ten babies died after a fire broke out at the special unit of the state-run Bhandara district hospital located in east Maharashtra.

The official said three teams will be formed to conduct the inspection exercise at all hospitals in Aurangabad city, which is the biggest in Marathwada region of the state, and rural areas in the district over the next two months.

Also Read: 10 babies die in Maharashtra hospital fire: ‘Heart-wrenching,’ says PM Modi

“We will check preparedness of hospitals to tackle any fire incident. We wll also check fire safety equipment in every hospital in Aurangabad well as in other parts of the district,” Fire brigade department head R K Sure told PTI.

Meanwhile, the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Aurangabad, which is one of the biggest health facilities in the Marathwada region, has completed a preliminary assessment of its paediatric ward, an official said.

He said minor repairs were undertaken at the GMCH.

“The administration has repaired switch boards and also checked the electricity infrastructure. The (safety) audit at GMCH was carried out in 2019, but it will be done again now,” he said.

According to the official, the paediatric ward has only a single entry.

“Another access to the ward is being planned for emergency purpose. We have written about this to the Public Works department,” said hospital superintendent Dr. Suresh Harbade.