The fire incident at PIMS Hospital in Islamabad has also exposed serious fire safety gaps in Karachi’s major public hospitals.
Hospital sources said Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Jinnah Hospital and Civil Hospital are all facing shortcomings in fire protection arrangements.
At Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, sources said only 13 fire extinguishers are available. They added that staff members have not been given regular fire drill training and no fire alarm system has been installed. The hospital also lacks a designated emergency exit route.
The emergency department at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital receives hundreds of patients daily, while the outpatient department sees more than 1,000 patients every day. Of the hospital’s two generators, one is reserved for backup use.
The medical superintendent of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital told Geo News that further measures related to fire safety are being taken at the facility.
At Jinnah Hospital, sources said fire extinguishers are available in every ward, but many of them are non-functional. They added that the last fire drill at the hospital was held in 2017, and no fire alarm system has been installed.
The joint executive director of Jinnah Hospital said a firefighting team needs to be formed. He added that each ward has one fire extinguisher and that the Sindh government will be approached for more staff training.
Civil Hospital also has 180 fire extinguishers in different wards, but sources said the hospital’s safety arrangements are still not ideal.
The revelations have raised fresh concerns about emergency preparedness in Karachi’s major government hospitals.
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