Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Jammu is again in the news, certainly not for any healthy reason. It is found that the college-cum-hospital is lacking some of the crucial requirements without which the wards and the hospital complex, everything is in the throes of danger. Basic safety measures, which the Government conveys to the hospitals, schools, public places and other institutional areas, are not met with in the GMCH. It puts the lives of patients and inmates as well as the relatives and guests who visit patients in large numbers almost every day in danger. It is shocking but true that the GMCH does not have single firefighting equipment in the wards.
There are hardly one or two fire extinguishers and smoke detectors in the hospital. The wards where a large number of patients are to be found around, sudden appearance of fire could become a cause of disaster of big magnitude. Not to provide the wards with fire extinguishers is in contravention of the standing rules of the Government. The Medical Superintendent has conceded that there are no fire extinguishers in the wards. It will be reminded that only a few days back, there broke out fire in the corridor of a ward and it had to be extinguished with much difficulty. The old block of the hospital does not have important safety facilities except underground fire water store as at the time of its construction these fire safety norms were not introduced. However, in the new block of the hospital there are the facilities including fire hydrants, hose reel system, water sprinklers system, smoke detectors and fire alarm system. Attention of the authorities is drawn towards the need of installing fire extinguishers in all wards of the hospital to make it safe against any fire accident.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel