Ageing Karachi hospitals face serious fire safety risks amid gaps

Karachi [Pakistan], February 10 (ANI): Karachi's public healthcare network continues to function inside decades-old structures, where fragile electrical wiring and the absence of organised fire response systems threaten the lives of patients and medical workers.

A recent survey paints a troubling picture of neglect across major facilities in the city, according to The Express Tribune.

According to The Express Tribune, hospitals operating from pre-Partition buildings have expanded their departments and patient intake enormously, yet their power infrastructure has not kept pace.

Exposed cables and loose wiring are visible in multiple areas, heightening the danger of short circuits.

Despite the reliance on electricity-powered life-saving equipment, none of the city's government hospitals maintain a specialised firefighting unit.

In many district facilities, fire extinguishers are mounted on walls, but few people are trained to use them.

Oxygen plants, which can turn a small spark into a catastrophe, often function without dedicated suppression mechanisms.

This mismatch between infrastructure and preparedness leaves hospitals extremely vulnerable.

The risks became tragically clear in February 2024, when a fire broke out at Sindh Government Liaquatabad Hospital.

The fire, triggered by an electrical fault near the emergency department, left seven employees critically injured, five of whom later succumbed to their burns after being moved for treatment.

Officials later admitted that no firefighting gear was available when the flames spread.

Compensation was paid, and equipment was subsequently installed, but structural vulnerabilities remain, according to The Express Tribune.

Data show several short-circuit incidents across Karachi's public hospitals in 2024, and even more in the previous year.

Administrators insist inspections are routine and staff receive basic training, yet many buildings lack emergency exits, sand buckets, or integrated alarm systems, according to The Express Tribune. (ANI)

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