The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has directed all States and Union Territories to complete fire safety audits of all public and private healthcare facilities through a special drive and upload the findings on the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) by July 31.

In a letter to States and UTs, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said fire safety should become an integral part of routine hospital management and patient safety protocols, rather than remain a one-time exercise.

Pointing out that 4,083 secondary-level public and private hospitals had reported completion of fire safety audits on the IHIP portal during May, the Health Secretary in the letter said the actual number of audits conducted could be higher.

The Ministry has now asked States to ensure that all hospitals, including private hospitals and nursing homes, conduct monthly fire safety audits through the IHIP portal.

Special emphasis has been laid on high-risk areas such as Intensive Care Units (ICUs), Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs), nurseries and other critical care units, where the consequences of a fire can be particularly severe.

Recently, a fire was reported in the operation theatre of the Chigateri District Hospital in Davangere in Karnataka. However, there were no casualties as surgeries for the day had not yet commenced.

The Ministry has also asked States to widely disseminate the updated National Guidelines on Fire and Life Safety in Healthcare Facilities among healthcare institutions to strengthen preparedness and reduce the risk of fire-related incidents.

The Health Secretary urged States to personally monitor the exercise and ensure that fire safety remains a sustained priority across healthcare facilities.

The special drive covering both public and private healthcare institutions is to be completed by July 31, with audit findings uploaded on the Ministry’s Integrated Health Information Platform, the letter added.