Punjab health minister orders comprehensive power and fire safety audits in healthcare facilities

CHANDIGARH: To ensure uninterrupted power supply at government healthcare facilities, Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh on Monday ordered a comprehensive power supply and fire safety audit across all medical colleges, civil hospitals, sub-divisional hospitals, and block-level hospitals in the state.

Under the minister's directions, all critical care units—including operation theatres, labour rooms, emergency departments, Special Newborn Care Units (SNCUs), and Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs)—must be equipped with UPS-based power backup to sustain operations for at least 30 minutes during a power outage. Additionally, all healthcare facilities are required to have fully functional generator sets with an adequate supply of diesel.

The health minister also mandated the formation of committees at various levels, including district, sub-division, and block-level hospitals. These committees, comprising representatives from the Health Department/Medical Colleges, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL ), and PWD-Electrical, will be tasked with ensuring an uninterrupted power supply at all health facilities. The committees will coordinate efforts and provide regular reports on the functionality of UPS systems and other power backup mechanisms at healthcare centres.

“These committees will conduct frequent visits to their respective hospitals to ensure the availability of power backups and fully operational generators,” he stated. He further instructed all civil surgeons to ensure that backup power supplies are activated immediately during power cuts to prevent disruptions to critical services. Effective communication systems must also be established with personnel responsible for managing backup power to guarantee prompt action, he added. The Health Minister suggested creating a WhatsApp group for all committee members to facilitate quick responses during power outage situations.

In addition to the power supply measures, he directed officials to conduct an immediate fire safety audit across all facilities. He emphasised the importance of ensuring the availability of fire extinguishers, particularly in critical care units.