New Delhi: India is set to implement a new framework for fire and life safety across all healthcare facilities, moving beyond general building codes to address the specific vulnerabilities of patients and critical care units.
The ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) has released a comprehensive manual titled “National Guidelines on Fire and Life Safety in Healthcare Facilities (2026)” in the backdrop of recurring tragedies that highlight systemic safety failures in Indian healthcare.
The manual provides a technical and operational roadmap to identify high-risk zones such as ICUs, operation theatres, and oxygen storage areas for targeted interventions. Under these guidelines, all major structural elements in new hospitals must be non-combustible, and existing buildings must maintain compartmentation to limit the spread of fire and smoke.
The updated framework responds to a history of tragic incidents where electrical faults—specifically short circuits and malfunctioning equipment—were identified as the primary cause of hospital fires, exacerbated by high oxygen concentrations and limited patient mobility.
In 2021, an oxygen leak at Dr. Zakir Hussain Municipal Hospital in Nashik claimed 22 lives. Also in 2021, fires in Ahmednagar District Hospital and Bhandara District General Hospital resulted in the deaths of 11 covid-19 patients and 10 newborns. Most recently, in March 2026, a fire at SCB Medical College in Odisha killed at least 12 people.
Research indicates that short circuits cause 89% of these outbreaks.
Aligned with the National Building Code (NBC) 2016 and prepared by experts from AIIMS, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), and the Directorate General Fire Services, these guidelines are intended for nationwide adoption.
While advisory in nature, the MoHFW is urging states and Union territories to implement the guidelines. The expected outcomes include a substantial reduction in fire-related incidents, improved safety for patients and healthcare workers, and the guaranteed continuity of essential health services during emergencies.
Infrastructure overhaul
Detailed guidance is provided in the new framework for infrastructure systems, including fire detection with addressable smoke sensors, fire suppression arrangements like sprinklers and hydrants, and the integration of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems to manage smoke exhaust.
The guidelines also mandate strict medical gas safety protocols to prevent accelerated combustion in oxygen-rich environments. They also focus on patient-centric evacuation planning.
Rather than immediate vertical transport, facilities are now instructed to move patients to adjacent smoke-free compartments on the same floor.
Specialized protocols have been introduced for the most vulnerable groups, including neonates in the NICU, pediatric patients in the PICU, and those in adult ICUs or operation theatres.
To support this, hospitals must maintain bedside fire evacuation kits containing self-inflating bags, thermal blankets, and portable oxygen.
The governance and accountability framework has been significantly strengthened compared to the 2020 version.
Every facility is now required to constitute a Fire Safety Committee and appoint a designated Fire Safety Officer (FSO), who must be a qualified professional with at least three years of experience for high-rise buildings.
Capacity building is also prioritized through mandatory fire safety induction for all new employees and role-based training for specialized units. Additionally, hospitals must conduct joint mock drills with local fire brigades at least once a year to test external agency response times and internal coordination.
A statement from Apollo Hospitals said, “The fire safety guidelines are timely and well-calibrated to the unique realities of healthcare. They rightly shift the focus from reactive response to proactive risk identification and mitigation – recognising that hospitals are far more complex than conventional buildings, with patients requiring differentiated evacuation strategies.
“A key strength lies in their emphasis on area-specific training, infrastructure readiness, and engineering controls - particularly in often-overlooked utility and electrical systems, which are critical to preventing incidents. By strengthening both active and passive fire protection systems, and encouraging the use of predictive tools such as thermal imaging, the guidelines move towards a more scientific, prevention-led approach,” the statement added.