New Delhi, May 5 (IANS): The Union Home Ministry on Wednesday directed all the states and Union Territories (UTs) to carry out a detailed review of fire safety mechanisms at the hospitals and nursing homes to prevent fire incidents.

The direction came after several instances of fires were reported at different healthcare facilities, including those treating Covid-19 patients, in various parts of the country.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla issued the order to the chief secretaries of the states and UT administrators, asking them to ensure proper fire safety measures at the hospitals and Covid care facilities.

"Given the recent fire incidents in the hospitals and particularly in view of the impending summer months, it needs to be highlighted that short-circuits take place, leading to fire incidents and loss of lives and infrastructure, either because of high temperature, lack of maintenance or high load on internal wirings within the facilities," the MHA notification read.

It further said that care should be taken to put in place a plan of action to ensure that there is no fire incident in any health facility, particularly those dedicated for Covid patients, both in the government and the private sector.