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Mohali Hospital Fire Safety Lapses Leave Paediatric Ward Closed
11 Oct
Summary
- Fire safety works at AIMS Mohali remain incomplete after four months.
- A newly built paediatric ward has been unusable for nearly five months.
- A ₹2 crore tender is out for ramp, fire system, and electrical upgrades.
Four months after a fire brigade was deployed to address safety issues at Dr BR Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) in Mohali, critical fire safety works remain unfinished. This delay has rendered the newly constructed paediatric ward unusable for approximately five months, raising significant concerns about the hospital's emergency preparedness.
The institute, which also functions as a teaching hospital, has been operational since February 2022. However, the ongoing lack of essential fire safety measures, including inadequate water tank capacity and the absence of a ramp to the fourth floor of the mother and child building, poses a risk.
Consequently, the paediatric ward, built with potentially combustible PUF panels, remains shut. Furthermore, the lack of adequate evacuation routes like a ramp could hinder patient movement during emergencies.
To rectify these issues, the Punjab Health Systems Corporation (PHSC) has initiated a tender valued at around ₹2 crore. This will fund the construction of the ramp, upgrades to fire-fighting and detection systems, and necessary electrical work. While work on the water tank is underway, the completion of other crucial safety improvements is pending.
A meeting between hospital management and PHSC is scheduled to finalize the next steps. Until these deficiencies are addressed, the hospital's fire preparedness and the availability of the new paediatric facility remain compromised.
