Despite repeated fires, only 11 per cent of Mumbai hospitals have a disaster plan

Only 11 per cent of the private hospitals and a few government- and corporation-run hospitals have submitted their disaster management plan to the civic body in the past one year, shows the official database. The BMC had sought the plan following a deadly fire at a hospital in Bhandara last year.

The BMC said it will send reminders to remaining 89 per cent private hospitals, and it has asked the civic hospitals to submit the plan soon. A month after a fire killed 10 newborns in the District General Hospital in Bhandara city in January last year, the BMC, in February 2021, asked all the private and public hospitals in the city to submit their disaster management plan. The aim was to avert such incidents in the city.

Ten newborns were killed in the fire in the Special Care Newborn Unit of Bhandara hospital on January 9, 2021. File pic

However, over the past one year, only 20 of the 180 private hospitals, one out of 28 government-run hospitals and four out of 32 civic-run hospitals have submitted their plans to the BMC. Civic officials said the plan would help them know whether the hospitals are following all safety protocols and if their employees are trained to tackle any emergency.

Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani said, "We asked hospitals having over 50 beds to submit their disaster management plan. We sent emails to enquire about their fire safety audit, and whether they conduct timely maintenance of important machinery and fire equipment, fire mock drills, etc. However, only a few hospitals have submitted their plans so far. The BMC will send a reminder to the private hospitals and has also asked civic hospitals to respond soon. We don't want to take any action right now."

Asked if there is no response despite the reminders, Kakani said, "A team of fire officers, health department and local ward officials would visit such hospitals to enquire about the reason for not sending the plan."

Plan is to fix loopholes

The BMC would assess the plan and if any loophole is found, the hospital(s) would be asked to fix it, he said, adding, "BMC's disaster management will also provide training to their employees to tackle emergencies."

"There are loopholes in small private hospitals and nursing homes, and our motto is to identify the loopholes and help overcome them," said a civic official.

Dr Santosh Shetty, the executive director and chief operating officer of Kokilaben hospital, told mid-day, "I have to check with my team about the submission of the disaster management plan. We have all safety accreditation and staff is also trained to tackle emergencies."

Dr Gautam Bhansali from Bombay Hospital said, "We have had a disaster management plan since 1993, and have submitted it to the BMC. We are ready to tackle emergencies within or outside
the hospital."

Lilavati Hospital's CEO Dr V Ravishankar also said he would have to check with his team. Nanavati and Masina hospitals didn't reply to mid-day's queries.

Dr Deepak Baid, former president of Association of Medical Consultants Mumbai, said, "The BMC's initiative is good, but there has to be proper coordination between the civic officials and hospitals' representatives. Several small hospitals might not be aware of the disaster management plan, so the BMC should coordinate with their representatives and the nursing associations to convey the message to the members."

A total of 55 lives were lost in six fire incidents in hospitals across the state, including one in Mumbai--at Sunrise Hospital that was treating COVID-19 patients in March last year.