Jaipur: A Ministry of Health and Family Welfare report has classified last year’s fire at Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital in Jaipur as one of India’s 14 most severe hospital fire incidents since 2016. The report highlights persistent shortcomings in electrical safety, compliance and emergency preparedness within healthcare facilities across the nation.The SMS Hospital fire, which took place in Oct 2025, resulted in the loss of eight ICU patients’ lives at the Trauma Centre. A short circuit sparked the fire in a critical-care area, leaving patients with limited mobility who were heavily reliant on life-support systems. The incident shed light on the vulnerabilities present in high-risk hospital zones like ICUs, where the complexities of evacuation, rapid smoke spread and response delays can transform an electrical mishap into a catastrophic event.The Union ministry’s report places the Jaipur fire alongside major incidents at Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi, New Life Multispecialty Hospital in Jabalpur, Vijay Vallabh Hospital in Virar, Uday Shivanand Hospital in Rajkot and other facilities where electrical faults were either the direct cause or a major contributing factor.Additional secretary in the Union health ministry, Dr Rakesh Gupta, said such incidents show the continued vulnerability of healthcare facilities to fire hazards and the urgent need to strengthen prevention, preparedness and response systems.In response to the findings, the Centre has directed the Rajasthan govt to undertake a thorough review of hospital fire safety measures. The state has been tasked with identifying root causes, implementing corrective actions, ensuring fire NOC compliance, conducting fire audits, running mock drills and training the staff.Following the directive, state health and medical education minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar has ordered all medical institutions to prioritise the safety of patients, attendants and healthcare workers. This includes ensuring rigorous electrical and fire safety compliance, conducting regular audits and addressing any risks immediately. Regular mock drills and disaster-management training for staff are to be instituted across facilities.The report notes that, among the 14 incidents recorded, eight occurred in 2021 alone, with Maharashtra experiencing the highest number of fires (six incidents). Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh came next with two instances each, while states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha recorded one.The primary cause of these tragedies was identified as electrical failure, with short circuits being a common issue, as seen in the SMS Hospital incident and several others. Other causes include generator faults, malfunctioning air conditioning units, overheating equipment and failures in central AC systems.The report also highlights that poor evacuation protocols, blocked or insufficient exits, lack of sprinkler systems, inadequate ventilation, absence of fire NOCs, non-functional firefighting equipment and insufficient staff training have exacerbated the outcomes of these unfortunate events.
