By Dr. Fiaz Maqbool Fazili

A recent fire near a hospital in Srinagar’s Karan Nagar locality should prompt an uncomfortable examination of how Kashmir protects patients when danger comes from outside the hospital gates. 

A fire in a neighbouring building can force the evacuation of critically ill patients, fill corridors with smoke and firefighting water, obstruct ambulances and disrupt treatment. 

The consequences depend partly on decisions made long before the first alarm sounds.

Kashmir needs an independent fire risk audit of its hospitals, beginning with facilities in densely populated neighbourhoods. 

The purpose should be to establish whether hospitals can withstand emergencies, evacuate vulnerable patients and continue essential care when their surroundings become dangerous. Certificates and written emergency plans cannot answer these questions. Practical tests can.

Hospitals in Srinagar’s older neighbourhoods face a chronic challenge. Narrow lanes, closely packed buildings and roadside parking can obstruct fire engines and ambulances. When a nearby building catches fire, the hospital may face risks from smoke, soot, falling debris and firefighting operations even if the flames never reach its premises. 

A building designed to deliver medical care can quickly become difficult to access precisely when patients need help most.

At least four Srinagar hospitals are understood to stand within or near densely populated residential areas. An official survey must establish which facilities face these conditions and assess the risks surrounding them. Their location alone does not prove that they are unsafe. Healthcare must remain accessible to the public, including people who depend on hospitals close to home. 

But authorities must establish whether the surrounding roads, neighbouring........

© Kashmir Observer