PATNA, June 7 -- The Bihar health department directed district magistrates to conduct a comprehensive fire safety audit of government and private hospitals across the state, two days after seven people lost their lives in a fire at Muzaffarpur's Prasad Hospital, officials said on Saturday. The officials were also instructed to launch a special inspection drive in all private hospitals in the state to verify registration and compliance with prescribed safety standards. The department asked them to check the validity of fire NOCs and staff training in fire and disaster management. It also asked authorities to examine the availability and functioning of fire extinguishers, fire alarm systems and smoke detectors, emergency exits, electrical wiring and compliance with electrical safety standards, the safety of oxygen pipelines and gas storage areas. In a letter, accessed by HT, to district magistrates, civil surgeons-cum-chief medical officers and directors of super-speciality hospitals, Bihar's health secretary Kumar Ravi asked them to initiate "lawful action" against institutions that do not conform to established safety norms. Ravi instructed these officials to review fire safety arrangements in all hospitals, including intensive care units (ICUs), neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and paediatric intensive care units (PICUs), and ensure compliance with safety norms to prevent such incidents. The instructions also emphasised on verifying evacuation routes and emergency preparedness, particularly in critical care areas. Ravi further urged the officials to treat the matter as "most urgent" and sought compliance reports on action taken within a fortnight. The state health department had earlier labelled the fire tragedy an indication of "serious negligence" and said that preventing recurrence of such incidents and ensuring patient safety required an urgent and extensive review of fire safety measures in all healthcare institutions....