SMOs deputed to carry out checks at all hospitals

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, November 20

After the Deputy Commissioner on November 9 directed the Civil Surgeon to ensure a fire-safety audit report of all hospitals (government and private) in Jalandhar, the Civil Surgeon has deputed various SMOs in Jalandhar to ensure respective audits of private hospitals in their areas.

While the DC’s directions came in the wake of fire incidents in various areas of the country, Jalandhar, with its vast network of private hospitals and nursing homes — also considered as Asia’s biggest medical hub — is an especially vulnerable medical centre of the state.

As per the Civil Surgeon’s directions, all SMOs have been directed to conduct fire safety audits of the institutions associated with them. Regarding fire safety audits of private hospitals, the SMOs are directed to ensure a visit to the private hospitals in their respective areas along with a fire safety officer during the fire safety inspection. Additionally, the directions say that Urban Medical Officers will conduct the inspection of private hospitals in their areas concerned. The directions regarding the inspections to be conducted in private hospitals falling in the area of Medical Officer Dispensary, ESI, will be done by Medical Superintendent, in-charge, ESI Hospital, Jalandhar.

The fire safety office has been directed to release the schedule for these audits. The inspection is time bound, therefore it be given importance on a priority basis, say the directions.

The DC, Jalandhar, had instructed the Civil Surgeon, Jalandhar, on November 9 to ensure a fire audit on a priority basis at all government and private hospitals in Jalandhar to assess safety risks at these facilities and mitigate them. Jaswant Singh, Fire Safety Officer, said, “Special advisories have further been issued to the IMA and the Nursing Associations to release the lists of private hospitals and nursing homes falling under them.”