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Post Jhansi tragedy, fresh safety audit of UP hospitals for compliance with previous guidelines
Hospitals left out in the previous round of audit will also be included, with priority given to major hospitals before covering the rest
LUCKNOW The Uttar Pradesh government has ordered a fresh electricity safety audit of all government and private hospitals to assess compliance with the recommendations made during previous inspections carried out in wake of a fire incident at the Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow, in December 2023.
Hospitals left out in the previous round of audit will also be included, with priority given to major hospitals before covering the rest.
The move comes in wake of the recent devastating fire in the neonatal intensive care unit of Jhansi’s Maharani Lakshmi Bai Medical College a week ago. Ten newborns had died in the blaze and five died of various ailments following the incident, raising concerns over hospital safety protocols. An electrical short-circuit is believed to be the cause of the blaze in the ward.
As reported by HT earlier, a safety audit of the medical college was conducted in June and January this year. However, officials revealed that the hospital administration failed to address the shortcomings (such as existence of open and jointed wires, missing MCVs, lack firefighting system, etc) highlighted in the audit reports.
“Taking a lesson from the Jhansi tragedy, we have decided to inspect all hospitals, both government and private, to verify if these have complied with the directions issued to them for rectifying faults detected in the previous audit. Hospitals do not send us any compliance report after the safety audit,” director, electricity safety, GK Singh said.
He said it had also been decided to conduct a safety audit of all hospitals that were left out in the first round, at the earliest. “Two circulars in these matters have been issued to all our field officers,” he added.
According to the order, all deputy and assistant directors of electrical safety have been instructed to reinspect hospitals in their respective districts. They are tasked with verifying whether the deficiencies identified in previous inspection reports have been rectified by the hospital administrations.
“In cases where issues persist, hospital and district administrations must be notified immediately, and the deficiencies must be addressed without delay,” stated the circular on November 21.
Government hospitals have been prioritised for reinspection. Officials are required to monitor progress and ensure that any identified issues are rectified promptly. Once inspections of government hospitals are completed, the focus will shift to large private hospitals, followed by smaller private healthcare facilities.
The government has mandated the formation of inspection teams, comprising subordinate electrical safety officers, to evaluate the electrical installations of medical institutions. These teams are to provide written notices to hospital administrations regarding deficiencies and monitor compliance until all issues are resolved.
“The new safety audits will focus on adherence to fire safety norms, ensuring functional electrical systems, and mitigating risks associated with outdated infrastructure,” Singh said.
“We will take strict action against hospitals found lacking in complying with our audit recommendations aimed at ensuring safety of electrical installations and prevent accidents,” he warned.
