Hospital safety norms on anvil

NEW DELHI: In the wake of the recent fire incident at AMRI hospital in Kolkata, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will soon prepare guidelines for ‘Hospital Safety and Preparedness’ to deal with on-site emergencies.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the Authority convened here on Friday to review the present status of hospital safety and understand the role and responsibilities of different agencies in the backdrop of the AMRI tragedy.
M Shashidhar Reddy, NDMA vice-chairman, said the Authority had in the past issued guidelines for ‘Medical Preparedness and Mass Causality Management’, but it largely dealt with preparedness of hospitals to deal with disasters outside the hospital.
“We have to now address this major issue of emergencies inside the hospitals both in the government and private sectors in the country,” he said.