The systems will be installed in regular and neonatal intensive care units.

While this is a step forward, medical facilities—whether equipped with these systems or not, have to be fire-ready.

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This means existing fire-fighting equipment in hospitals must be up-to-date and functional. All exit routes be free from obstruction so that there can be smooth evacuation. Medical equipment, stretchers and wheelchairs cannot block staircases or corridors.

An evacuation route map must be set up at different spots in the hospital. The sound system and alarms must work well at all times so that all instructions can be heard clearly.

Staffers must be trained in responding to fires to avoid panic, crowding and confusion, which can exacerbate a tense and difficult situation. Safety drills and fire education are a must.

Patients will be doubly vulnerable at times of emergencies, so training and preparedness have to be of the highest order. 

While upgrading medical facilities and adopting new technology is vital, it is also important that we make the best of what we have currently and whatever is available at hand. Hospitals need to be primed to take on these challenges.