KARACHI – Serious gaps in fire safety arrangements at major government hospitals in Karachi have been exposed following the deadly fire at Islamabad’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
According to reports, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s Abbasi Shaheed Hospital has only 13 fire extinguishers. Hospital staff have not been provided regular fire drills or formal fire safety training, while the facility also lacks a fire alarm system and a designated emergency exit.
Hundreds of patients visit the emergency department at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital every day, while more than 1,000 patients attend its outpatient department. Of the hospital’s two generators, one has been designated as a backup.
The hospital’s medical superintendent told Geo News that further measures were being taken to improve the fire safety system.
Meanwhile, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) has fire extinguishers in every ward, but several of them are reportedly non-functional.
The last fire drill at JPMC was conducted in 2017, while the hospital also does not have a fire alarm system.
The joint executive director of JPMC said a dedicated firefighting team needed to be established. He said each ward had a fire extinguisher and that the Sindh government would be approached through a letter seeking additional training for hospital staff.
At Civil Hospital Karachi, 180 fire extinguishers are available across the wards. However, hospital sources said the overall fire safety arrangements there are also not up to ideal standards.
