India, Oct. 30 -- LUCKNOW As many as 21 government healthcare facilities in the city, including CHCs and PHCs, are operating sans adequate fire safety arrangements or no-objection certificate (NOC) from the fire department, with many relying only on fire extinguishers for safety, putting patients' lives at risk, a reality check by team HT has revealed.

The exercise was undertaken in wake of a blaze at the Northern Railway Divisional Hospital in Alambagh in the wee hours of Monday, which caused panic as multiple individuals were trapped in the critical care unit (CCU) on the first floor. Over 22 patients were transferred to other wards as smoke infiltrated the CCU. The incident exposed serious lapses in the hospital's fire safety readines...