Private hospital in Cuttack sealed for lacking fire safety permit

The Cuttack district administration sealed a private nursing home in Mangalabag of the city on Wednesday evening due to the absence of valid certifications under fire safety and the Clinical Establishments (Regulation and Registration) Act.

The concerned nursing home, named ‘Popular Nursing Home & Hospital’, had been reportedly operating in the Malla Sahi area of Mangalabag for the last 45 years.

Sources added that the administration had sent repeated notices to the hospital since 2015 but it failed to provide valid certificates every time and was granted a relief period to obtain the same.

In a surprise raid carried out last night, the administration once again inspected the hospital premises and found it lacking proper fire and clinical safety arrangements or certificates. Authorities subsequently sealed the hospital indefinitely.

ALSO READ: Chemotherapy under mobile light: Power cut affects cancer treatment in VIMSAR Hospital

“The hospital has been served several notices since 2015. However, it has yet to obtain fire safety licences under the Clinical Establishments Act and thus, we have sealed it,” said Dibyalochan Mahantam Additional District Collector of Cuttack.

Meanwhile, the hospital owner refuted the claims and said that he had done a complete electrical rewiring and installed fire safety measures. He also alleged that his hospital was only functioning as a consultancy.

“For the last several years, I only used this building for consultancy and no surgical or medical procedures have been done here but the officials are not allowing me to enter my own building,” alleged the hospital owner.

ALSO READ: 2 bars sealed in Bhubaneswar for employing women performers sans permission

The actions come after a major fire broke out in the neonatal ICU of a private hospital located in the Purighat area of the city last year, prompting immediate action.