1,400 state hospitals have no fire licence,Tamil Nadu tells Madras HC

Chennai: The state government has informed the Madras high court that 1,400 hospitals have no valid fire safety licence in the state. The principal secretary, health and family welfare department, has filed a report regarding this before the first bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice PT Asha when the PIL from Jawahar Shanmugam came up for hearing. The petitioner sought for making ramp facility as a mandatory in all the hospitals for easy evacuation of the patients.

The principal secretary also proposed to sanction Rs 8958.25 lakh for the providing fire fighting arrangements in the government hospitals across the state. Of Rs 8958.25 lakh the fire fighting arrangements will be made in 34 government medical college hospitals and institutions with a cost of Rs 3703.42 lakh, and in Chennai the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children and Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Government Hospital for women and children the same facility will be made available at a cost of Rs 410.00 lakh and for Tiruvannamali Rs 290 lakh and Kanyakumari Medical college and Hospital Rs 157.60 lakh.

Out of total 1,938 hospitals that are mandated to have ramp only 668 hospitals has both valid fire safety license and ramp facility in their hospital. The remaining hospitals either did not have either valid fire safety license or ramp facility in their campus the counter said. After submission of the report, bench adjourned PIL to July 30 for further hearing.