No fire alarms, sprinklers at Sindh's major govt hospitals

Fire safety reports submitted by 22 government hospitals in Sindh to the provincial government have revealed major gaps, including the absence of fire alarms and water sprinklers at several major public hospitals.

According to the reports, 180 fire extinguishers are operational at Civil Hospital Karachi, but the facility has no fire alarm or sprinkler system. The 1,750-bed hospital also requires repairs to its electrical wiring.

At Jinnah Hospital Karachi, 208 fire extinguishers are operational, but fire alarms and sprinklers are not available. The 2,208-bed hospital also requires repairs to its electrical wiring. However, fire drills are conducted regularly at the hospital.

The report said that 40 of the 135 fire extinguishers at the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) were found to be faulty. The 533-bed hospital has no fire alarm system, while fire drills are also not conducted regularly. Its electrical wiring requires extensive repairs.

At the 700-bed Lyari General Hospital, only 20 fire extinguishers are operational and there is just one fire alarm. The hospital has no water sprinklers, while fire drills are not conducted regularly.

Qatar Hospital in Orangi has only 25 operational fire extinguishers and no fire alarm system. Saudabad Hospital has 18 operational fire extinguishers but lacks a fire alarm system and regular fire drills.

According to the report submitted to the Sindh government, fire safety arrangements at the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Trauma Centre and Korangi Children Institute were satisfactory.

The trauma centre has 180 operational fire extinguishers, 45 alarms and 39 fire hydrants, while the Korangi Children Institute has 39 operational fire extinguishers and 39 fireballs. Its alarms are functional and fire drills are also conducted.

At Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College (GMMMC) Hospital in Sukkur, the safety exit of the children’s ward is not clear. The hospital has only 20 fire extinguishers and lacks fire alarms and sprinklers.

SAMS Hospital in Shahdadpur has only five fire extinguishers and no fire alarm system.
At Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS), Hyderabad, 110 fire extinguishers are operational, but there are no fire alarms or sprinklers. LUMHS Jamshoro has 32 fire extinguishers but also lacks fire alarms and sprinklers.

The Sehwan Institute has 45 operational fire extinguishers and four fire alarms, with fire drills conducted regularly. Chandka Medical College in Larkana has a total of 77 fire extinguishers across its different blocks, while 52 fire extinguishers are operational at the Jacobabad Institute, where fire safety arrangements were described as satisfactory.

Health Department sources said fire safety data for the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) in Karachi and Sukkur, and People’s University of Health Sciences (PUHMS) was incomplete.

They added that fire safety data from Khairpur Medical College and Gambat was also incomplete, while records for several major healthcare institutions had not been provided in the fire safety report.