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Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Friday asked its officials to take action against private clinical establishments which violate fire safety norms.

"The District Collectors and Revenue Divisional Commissioners (RDC) should immediately inspect all the private clinical establishments in their districts including private medical colleges and wherever dereliction of non-compliance is found, immediate necessary action must be taken under the Clinical Establishment Act and Fire Safety Act," said Health Secretary Arti Ahuja in a letter.

The state government order came in the wake of the SUM hospital fire mishap, which has claimed 25 lives so far.

The health secretary asked the District Collectors and RDCs to ensure that SUM hospital like fire tragedy does not occur anywhere else.

"The Clinical Establishment Act amendment has been approved by the Odisha Legislative Assembly and is in the process of notification. I will be communicating the Act and subsequently the Rules for your action," she said in the letter.

She also said a joint team of energy department and fire safety officers would examine all government health institutions and works department would ensure compliance of deficiencies within one month.

The toll from the fire tragedy on Monday touched 25 after two persons undergoing treatment succumbed to injuries on Friday, two other patients succumbed to their injuries in the Capital Hospital on Thursday night, said a health official.

The state government also de-empanelled the hospital from the list of referral hospitals.

According to a notification of Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET), the hospital has also been removed from the list of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), a health insurance scheme of central government for the below poverty line (BPL) families.

The hospital, which has not obtained the requisite fire safety certificate from the state government, was also delisted as referral hospital under Odisha State Treatment Fund (OSTF), said the notification.

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