KOCHI: In a shocking revelation, Kochi’s Town Planning officials have said that the majority of the multispeciality hospitals in the city are ill-equipped to deal with an emergency situation.“All high rises in the city should be constructed according to the norms laid out by the Fire and Rescue Department. The Corporation will give permit to the building only after the Fire and Rescue Department gives it a No-objection certificate,” said K J Sohan, chairperson, Town Planning Committee, Kochi Corporation. “As a minimum requirement, the hospitals should at least have a rescue-friendly location and design. Even that is lacking in our city hospitals,” he added.K Ramanan, Senior Town Planner, Kochi, says the issue arises as the hospitals fail to follow the safety norms set by the competent authority. “During construction, the healthcare institutions focus on getting the NOC from the Fire and Rescue Department and the permission of the Corporation. Hence, they follow all the norms. After construction, the norms defined in the permit are thrown to the wind. This is mostly seen at the time of extensions. For example, it is mandatory that an open space at least 5 metres wide be left around every building. But, this is seldom adhered to. The hospitals either persuade authorities to relax the norms or do it on their own without consulting the authorities concerned,” said Ramanan. “Most of the time, the hospital’s location makes it impossible for a Fire and Rescue vehicle to go near them. The lack of parking and open spaces makes things worse. The congestion also increases the risk of the fire spreading onto the nearby buildings. For example, a renowned multi-speciality hospital in the heart of the city is situated in such a way that an emergency situation in the hospital will immediately affect the entire area since it is situated barely metres away from an arterial road. In such a condition, even trained rescue personnel cannot help people as the area of impact will be very large,” he added.
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