In recent days, there has been an increase in fire incidents in Delhi. A particularly tragic fire occurred at a baby care center in Vivek Vihar, resulting in the deaths of seven infants. This event has raised concerns among residents. About five years ago, a committee led by the then Health Minister Satyendar Jain developed guidelines with the aim of enforcing fire safety regulations in small hospitals and nursing homes. Unfortunately, these guidelines were never put into effect.
In 2018, the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) made it mandatory for all hospitals above two stories or 9 meters in height to obtain fire safety clearance according to the Delhi Fire Department standards. These standards dictated that commercial buildings, including hospitals, must have a 6-meter-wide access road for fire trucks, 2.4-meter-wide corridors, 2-meter-wide staircases, and a 75,000-liter underground water tank. However, many smaller hospitals and nursing homes in residential areas found it challenging to meet these strict requirements.
Fire at Delhi Baby Care Center (Watch Video)
Following the 2019 fire at the Arpit Hotel in Karol Bagh, in which 17 people lost their lives, around 600 small hospitals and nursing homes approached the state Health Department for a solution. A committee chaired by Minister Jain proposed revised norms, introducing mandatory sprinklers and automatic fire alarms while removing the stipulations for wide staircases and corridors. Despite these changes, the new norms were never enforced.
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When asked about the lack of implementation of fire safety norms in hospitals on mixed-use land, the Delhi government did not provide a response. In response to the recent fire incident, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj revealed that the East Delhi hospital did not possess a fire department NOC, as current norms exempt hospitals under 9 meters in height from requiring such clearance. He stressed the importance of all hospitals, regardless of height, installing water sprinkler systems and automatic smoke detectors.
A nursing homeowner mentioned that guidelines, even if they do not mandate an NOC, could help smaller hospitals uphold fire safety standards. Dr. Girish Tyagi, president of the Delhi Medical Association told Indian Express that, he believed that the proposed norms would have required some safety measures, potentially reducing fire accidents in smaller hospitals. Additionally, another nursing homeowner pointed out that to comply with existing norms, many hospitals have restricted their operations to the ground and first floors, leading to a significant decrease in available beds. This has disproportionately affected smaller hospitals compared to larger corporate ones, underscoring the need for more practical regulations for long-standing small hospitals.
The issue of fire safety in hospitals gained attention in 2020 when the Supreme Court instructed all states to conduct fire safety audits following a hospital fire in Rajkot. As a result, multiple Delhi hospitals were directed to close their upper floors due to a lack of fire safety clearances. The Nursing Home Forum, part of the Delhi Medical Association, has taken the matter to the Delhi High Court in a bid to seek flexibility for hospitals unable to meet the structural requirements of these regulations. They argue for a relaxation of fire clearance rules for buildings up to 9.5 meters high. Former DMA president Dr. Rakesh Gupta highlighted that while hospitals are willing to adhere to the norms, they are seeking court assistance for those unable to make necessary structural modifications. The case is currently under consideration in the Delhi High Court.