Serious concerns have emerged over fire safety arrangements at the National Institute of Child Health (NICH), with sources claiming that emergency exits are locked and several fire extinguishers are not working properly.
According to the details, fire extinguishers at the major government-run children’s hospital have allegedly not been regularly tested or monitored for a long period.
The hospital is also reportedly without an effective fire alarm system.
Sources further claimed that doctors, nurses and other staff members have not received fire safety training or participated in fire drills during the past 10 years.
The revelations are particularly concerning as NICH has reportedly witnessed two major fire incidents during the past six years.
NICH Director Dr. Nasir Suddle said the hospital’s emergency exits have been kept locked due to security concerns and previous incidents of theft.
However, he said staff members have keys to the emergency exit doors.
Dr. Suddle also acknowledged that hospital staff had not received firefighting training, adding that meetings were being held to address the issue. He maintained that fire extinguishers were available at the hospital.
He said the relevant staff would be held responsible if any emergency occurred at the facility.
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