BBGH boosts fire safety after PIMS tragedy

Following the deaths of 14 children in a fire at the paediatric nursery of PIMS Hospital in the federal capital Islamabad, measures are being taken in government hospitals to prevent such incidents in future. At Benazir Bhutto General Hospital in Rawalpindi, fire safety, fire emergency and firefighting systems, along with other measures, have been completed. According to officials, five water hydrants have been installed at Benazir Bhutto General Hospital through WASA to ensure immediate availability of water in case of a fire. Doctors, nursing staff and other employees of the hospital are given mock exercises every fortnight to prepare them for dealing with emergency situations. A fire alarm system and smoke detectors have been installed in the hospital building, while 40 additional fire extinguishers have been installed, taking their total number to 187. The extinguishers can be used to immediately stop the oxygen supply in case of a fire. Carbon dioxide fire extinguishers have also been included among them. A large number of fire balls have been installed in the hospital so that they can be thrown at a fire to extinguish it. Two temporary emergency exits have been created from the nursery for emergency evacuation from the hospital building, while work is under way on a new building design for creating two more permanent emergency exits. The two nursery halls have been divided into four larger halls so that an emergency can be handled more effectively. Meanwhile, electrical system experts from Lahore conducted a complete inspection of the hospital building's electrical system and gave recommendations for further improvement.