Fire at hospital in Ahmedabad; 125 patients evacuated, no casualty reported
Ahmedabad (PTI): A fire broke out in the basement of a 10-storey hospital in Gujarat's Ahmedabad city on Sunday, following which around 125 patients were evacuated from the facility as a precautionary measure, officials said.
There was so far no report of any casualty, inspector M D Champavat from Sahibaug police station said.
Due to the renovation work underway at the hospital, several items stored in the basement caught fire and caused massive smoke, a fire official said.
As per preliminary information, the fire broke out at around 4.30 am in the basement of Rajasthan Hospital, located in the city's Sahibaug area, Champavat said.
"Fire fighting teams are working to control the blaze. Smoke continues to emanate from the basement of the hospital where the fire broke out," he said.
"Nearly 125 patients have been evacuated and shifted to different hospitals as a precautionary measure," the police inspector said.
The hospital is run by a charitable trust.
The blaze erupted in the second basement of the 10-storey Rajasthan Hospital and a call was received at around 4.30 am, deputy chief fire officer Jayesh Khadia said.
Due to the ongoing renovation of the hospital, several items stored in the basement caught fire and caused massive smoke. Around two dozen fire fighting vehicles were rushed to the spot, he said.
The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained.
#WATCH | Gujarat | Fire breaks out at a hospital in Ahmedabad's Sahibaug area. Around 20-25 fire tenders on the spot. pic.twitter.com/qCoFvUKZyt
— ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2023
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
