HYDERABAD: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has decided to initiate stringent action against hospitals and nursing homes, both government and private, under its jurisdiction if they fail to install fire safety equipment within a month.The warning was issued by GHMC Commissioner M T Krishna Babu during a meeting with representatives of the Andhra Pradesh Nursing Homes Association (APNA), private hospitals and super specialty hospitals in the twin cities here on Monday. “The GHMC will not hesitate to seal the hospitals if they continue to put people’s lives in danger,” the commissioner warned. The GHMC will start issuing revised notices within a day or two giving a month’s time to the hospitals.As on date, only 20 per cent of the hospitals in the State capital have installed fire safety equipment and obtained No Objection Certificates (NoCs) from the authorities concerned. In other words, of the 580 private hospitals, only 149 have fire safety equipment.The GHMC had slapped notices on the hospitals having less than 50 beds soon after the fire mishap at the Park Hospital in Somajiguda in February, 2010. But only 20 per cent responded positively while the rest ignored the notices.Ninety one hospitals having a capacity of more than 50 beds or housed in five or more floors in a building, were also served notices. Of them, only 17 installed fire safety equipment and obtained NoCs.Krishna Babu said if the managements of the hospitals initiate installation works and seek one more month to complete the process, the GHMC would definitely consider their request. “At least three major hospitals will be sealed within one month if no steps are taken by the managements to install the equipment. The GHMC would send a strong message to them that such delays will not be tolerated,” Krishna Babu said.Apart from sealing, the District Medical Health Officers (DMHOs) of Hyderabad and Rangareddy will be asked to revoke permanent registration licences given to them and see that medical services being offered by them are stopped.SPECIAL TEAMS: The commissioner also said special teams will be constituted at the circle levels and they will inspect all the cellars in the hospitals, wherever cellars are misused for commercial gains and they would be demolished. The cellars must be used for parking purposes alone, he added. He said that it has come to their notice that most of the cellars meant for parking are being misused for commercial purposes to run canteens and restaurants.Krishna Babu said that in the next phase, as many as 1860 schools, colleges, malls and shopping centres will be inspected by the special teams. Of the 1,860, only 300 installed fire safety equipmentFor the old buildings where it is difficult to implement the fire safety rules, the state government’s guidelines should be implemented and there would be no excuses, he said.
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