After the Pims tragedy, government hospitals in Karachi lack fire alarms and safety measures.

KARACHI – After the deadly fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad, serious lapses in fire safety arrangements in major government hospitals in Karachi have come to light.

According to reports, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s Abbasi Shaheed Hospital has only 13 fire extinguishers. Hospital staff are not provided with regular fire drills or formal fire safety training, while the facility also lacks a fire alarm system and a designated emergency exit.

Hundreds of patients come to the emergency department of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital every day, while more than 1,000 patients come to its outpatient department. One of the hospital’s two generators is designated as backup.

The medical superintendent of the hospital told Geo News that more steps are being taken to improve the fire safety system.

Meanwhile, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) has fire extinguishers in every ward, but several of them are reportedly non-functional.

The last fire drill at JPMC was conducted in 2017, while the hospital does not even have a fire alarm system.

Joint Executive Director of JPMC said that a dedicated team needs to be set up to douse the fire. He said that every ward has a fire extinguisher and the Sindh government will be approached through a letter for additional training for the hospital staff.

Civil Hospital Karachi has 180 fire extinguishers available in all wards. However, hospital sources say the overall fire safety arrangements are also not up to ideal standards.

The post Fire alarm, lack of safety measures in government hospitals in Karachi after the Pims tragedy appeared first on Daily Pakistan English News.

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