Experts urge proactive hospital safety checks

PMA seminar calls for enforcement of international fire-safety codes, proactive regulators and institutional accountability following recent deadly incidents

By Mukhtar Alam

KARACHI: Health and safety experts have called for urgent, comprehensive assessments of healthcare facilities and educational institutions across the country, stressing that preventive planning, effective enforcement of safety standards and regular risk assessments are essential to avert fire-related casualties and ensure timely responses to emergencies.

The call came at a seminar and panel discussion on Fire and Life Safety in Healthcare Facilities, organised by the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Karachi, in collaboration with MOSH Consultants Private Limited, an NFPA-authorised training provider, at PMA House on Saturday.

The discussions assumed particular significance in the wake of recent deadly fire incidents, including the tragedy at the children’s care unit of Islamabad's Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), which once again exposed the potentially devastating consequences of inadequate safety arrangements in healthcare settings.

Speakers observed that while major textile and other export-oriented industries in Pakistan were increasingly required to comply with international standards to retain access to overseas markets, comparable attention to life-safety requirements was needed across public and private hospitals, educational institutions and other facilities receiving large numbers of people daily.

They stressed that government departments, healthcare regulators, industrial estate authorities and institutional managements must move beyond reactive responses and introduce round-the-clock preventive measures rather than waiting for another PIMS or Gul Plaza-like tragedy.

In his opening address, PMA Karachi President Dr Ismail Memon highlighted the critical importance of life safety in hospitals, particularly in view of recent fire incidents in healthcare facilities.

Delivering the keynote address, Naseeruddin Humayun of MOSH Consultants explained the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Fire and Life Safety Ecosystem, emphasising that fire safety was not simply a matter of installing equipment but required an integrated framework of internationally recognised codes, enforcement, education and accountability.

Ahmed Noorani of NFPA and MOSH Consultants discussed NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code, and its application in healthcare facilities, while Dr Anila Kazmi of the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) highlighted the clinical implications of fire safety, particularly the challenges involved in evacuating patients during emergencies.

Dr Mairaj Shah of the Aga Khan University and Hospital discussed the relationship between international accreditation systems, including JCI, WFME and IAAHEH, and compliance with life-safety requirements as an essential component of institutional governance.

Dr Abeer Salim Habib of the Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology (SICHN) drew attention to capacity optimisation and safety arrangements in paediatric and neonatal facilities, where the vulnerability of patients makes emergency preparedness particularly critical. Mazhar Valjee of Kiran Patients Welfare Society shared an industrial blueprint for achieving affordable safety compliance.

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During the discussion, participants expressed concern over the largely reactive approach to safety management and called upon provincial healthcare regulators to overcome institutional inertia and become more proactive, technically equipped and uncompromising in enforcing safety requirements.

A senior healthcare professional observed that institutions in the country had traditionally tended to respond to emergencies rather than anticipate them, stressing that safety could not be left to chance and depended on foolproof planning and implementation.

Another speaker, drawing on experience in the private healthcare sector, said interim arrangements were no substitute for systematic safety management. Institutions needed annual risk assessments, regularly updated emergency exercises and unobstructed evacuation routes available at all times.

The speaker also cautioned against treating hospital fires and resulting damage as the failure of an individual, arguing that such incidents often reflected wider systemic shortcomings, including the absence of an effective fire-safety plan.

The panel discussion, titled Lessons from the Frontline and moderated by Dr Abeer Salim Habib, brought together practitioners to share their experiences and challenges in implementing safety codes, particularly in resource-constrained settings.

In his concluding remarks, PMA Karachi Secretary General Dr Shahid Mamsa appreciated the speakers for sharing their expertise and practical insights, observing that timely and appropriate action during emergencies could save lives, prevent serious consequences and minimise damage to equipment and infrastructure.

He called for a collective institutional roadmap involving the PMA, private hospitals and regulatory authorities to make NFPA codes an integral and mandatory component of hospital licensing and accreditation.

Photos courtesy: PMA Karachi