Pune: Private hospitals criticise lengthy Fire NOC Process

Pune: Following inspections by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the issuance of show-cause notices to 37 private hospitals, hospital representatives, along with members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), have raised concerns over the lengthy and cumbersome process of obtaining a Fire No-Objection Certificate (NOC). They claimed that excessive documentation requirements and frequent technical glitches in the PMC’s online system are causing delays in securing the certificate, which is mandatory under the Bombay Nursing Home Registration Act, 1949.Also Read:Pune: 37 Private Hospitals get notices over regulatory violationsThe issue has gained prominence after the PMC recently conducted inspections of hospitals and nursing homes across the city and issued show-cause notices to 37 private hospitals for alleged violations of the Act.Medical Dialogues had previously reported that the Pune Municipal Corporation health department issued show cause notices to 37 private hospitals, seeking explanations for alleged breaches of provisions under the Bombay Nursing Home Registration Act, 1949, and the Maharashtra Nursing Home Registration (Amendment) Rules, 2021, officials said on Monday.
According to the IMA, the fire department has started seeking a Fire NOC annually, even though existing rules require it to be obtained only once. Thereafter, hospitals are mandated to submit a ‘B Form’ fire safety audit report twice a year, in January and July. These audits, conducted by fire department–authorised agencies, certify that installed fire safety systems are functional, with the cost borne by the hospitals themselves.
Hospital representatives said authorities are insisting that hospitals apply for a Fire NOC along with the B Form, despite both serving similar compliance purposes. They also questioned the rationale behind repeatedly seeking documents such as property tax receipts, society NOCs, floor plans and completion certificates, most of which are already submitted to and verified by the PMC health department during registration or renewal.
“There is also no need to ask for documents such as water tax, previous Fire NOC, shop act, MSEB bill, and photocopies of refilling of fire extinguishers,” said Dr Sanjay Patil, national secretary, Hospital Board of India. “Getting the NOC from societies every year is especially difficult for hospitals operating in a multi-use building. The society NOC and other documents like the shop act, floor plans, and completion certificates are already submitted during registration, and there is no point in demanding the same again,” reports Hindustan Times.
Complaining about the PMC online system being slow, Dr Sunil Ingale, president of the IMA Pune Chapter, said that once documents are uploaded, the process takes two to three months, and inspections continue during this period, raising concerns about who would take responsibility if approvals are delayed due to system issues.Also Read:Pune: 23 private hospitals get show cause notice for violation of Nursing Home ActSpeaking to Hindustan Times, Dr Suryakant Devkar, assistant health officer of PMC, said, “During inspections, the hospitals are exempted if they have applied for the NOC but have not received it yet. We also understand there can be technical issues, and the respective department is working on it.”