Shocking! Only 329 of 8,728 hospitals have fire safety approval in Karnataka

Bengaluru: A recent revelation has raised serious concerns over patient and staff safety in Karnataka, as only 329 out of 8,728 registered government and private hospitals in the state have proper fire safety approval.

Breaking it down, only 14 of 2,878 government hospitals and 315 of 5,850 private hospitals in Karnataka comply with fire safety standards.

This came to light after Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, in response to a question from Council member Dhananjay Sarji, revealed the data, and now it means that the vast majority of hospitals lack adequate protection in case of a fire.

Also read- 8 Pune private hospitals served show-cause notices for violations

According to a TNIE media report, the National Building Code requires all hospitals to follow uniform fire safety measures, but the data shows that most facilities are not complying.

“In 2024 alone, three hospitals in Karnataka reported fire accidents,” the minister said, adding that the issue had not been taken seriously in the past. A recent meeting was held to address the problem and find solutions.

"When the information about the implementation of fire safety measures was taken to avoid future disasters, it was noticed that 2,864 government hospitals were not following proper fire safety measures. It will cost around Rs 550 crore for fire safety clearance for government hospitals," he said.

Medical Dialogues had previously reported that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) issued notices to 24 private hospitals for failing to renew their fire no-objection certificates (NOCs) and neglecting fire safety regulations. This action was taken after an inspection of all 867 private hospitals in Pune revealed non-compliance with fire safety norms, raising concerns about the safety of both patients and staff. Dr. Suryakant Deokar, the Health Officer of PMC, said, “Our team inspected all 867 private hospitals to verify compliance with fire safety regulations. We found that 24 hospitals either did not renew their fire NOCs or failed to upgrade their fire equipment according to the rules.”

Also read- Pune Municipal Corporation issues notice to 24 Private Hospitals