Audit finds the hospital’s fire alarm system non-functional, while most smoke detectors are either faulty or inactive
KARACHI:
Sparks from a welding torch flew inside a nursery packed with newborns, some of them dependent on oxygen, at the National Institute of Child Health (NICH), raising fresh and serious questions about fire safety at the city hospital.
Video footage obtained by The Express Tribune showed a man carrying out welding work inside the nursery while newborn babies lay on beds just metres away — a scene unfolding in one of the hospital’s most vulnerable wards.
Sources said between 80 and 120 children were being treated in the nursery when the welding and repair work took place, most of them newborns receiving oxygen. The work was reportedly aimed at creating an emergency exit in the emergency nursery and installing an iron grille to provide a new access route to the semi-critical unit.
However, the decision to carry out welding work inside an occupied nursery raises questions about whether adequate safety arrangements were made to protect the newborns and medical staff. It was also unclear whether the infants were moved to a safe location or whether a separate area was designated for the welding work.
Experts said welding near oxygen cylinders and newborns receiving oxygen was highly hazardous. Sparks generated during welding could ignite flammable material in an oxygen-rich environment, potentially causing a fire within seconds.
They said repair work in such a sensitive area should be carried out only after making alternative arrangements to ensure the safety of patients and staff.
The incident comes against the backdrop of previously identified fire-safety deficiencies at NICH. A fire-safety audit had declared the hospital’s fourth, fifth and sixth floors extremely hazardous and highlighted several shortcomings in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Read: Fire safety gaps expose children hospitals to tragedy
According to the audit report, electrical and oxygen points in the NICU were installed in proximity. The report also identified leakage in the oxygen line and pipe joints that had reportedly been sealed with tape. Exposed and unsafe electrical wiring was also identified as a fire risk.
The audit found the hospital’s fire alarm system non-functional, while most smoke detectors were either faulty or inactive. It also noted an inadequate number of fire extinguishers, insufficient fire-emergency training for staff and the absence of regular fire drills.
Emergency exits were reportedly found blocked by equipment and waste, while the power room was easily accessible to the public. The report also pointed out that the power room lacked smoke detectors and adequate firefighting arrangements.
The NICU’s mechanical ventilation system was also found to be non-functional, while exposed and temporary wiring connected to old air-conditioning units was declared a fire-safety hazard.
NICH has witnessed fire incidents in the past. A fire broke out in the hospital’s ICU on June 30, while in January 2020, a newborn died after an incubator caught fire.
Read More: Infant deaths expose deadly gaps in hospital fire safety
The fire-safety audit had recommended immediate corrective measures, including securing the electrical, oxygen and ventilation systems, activating fire alarms and smoke-detection systems, clearing emergency exits and conducting regular fire drills.
It had also called for comprehensive fire-safety arrangements throughout the hospital.
The footage showing welding being carried out in an occupied nursery has now raised fresh questions over compliance with basic fire-safety protocols during repair work in one of the hospital’s most sensitive areas.
Meanwhile, attempts were made to obtain the NICH administration’s version of the incident. NICH Director Professor Nasir Saleem was contacted several times, but he did not respond.
