Union Health Ministry Launches Nationwide Fire Safety Week from 4 to 10 May 2026 and Issues National Guidelines for Fire and Life Safety in Healthcare Facilities

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare began a nationwide Fire Safety Week from 4 to 10 May 2026 to make hospitals and other healthcare facilities safer against fire hazards. The observance was launched on 4 May 2026 with a national pledge on the theme of fire safety in health facilities, led by Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava.

The Ministry also released the National Guidelines on Fire and Life Safety in Healthcare Facilities, 2026. The guidelines cover governance frameworks, risk assessment and mitigation, infrastructure planning, emergency response systems, training of healthcare personnel, compliance mechanisms and public awareness. They include updated protocols for high-risk spaces such as ICUs, neonatal and paediatric ICUs, and operation theatres, where evacuation and equipment safety require stricter planning.

The Health Secretary said Fire Safety Week should be used to reassess existing infrastructure, check whether facilities have completed audits and identify gaps requiring correction. She asked States and healthcare facilities to upload fire-safety audit details regularly on the IHIP portal so that compliance becomes institutionalised. The Ministry noted that more than 50,000 participants had already completed the iGOT fire-safety course.

NDMA member Krishna S. Vatsa underlined the need for a proactive, systems-based approach and said five regional programmes, along with State and district activities, were planned for capacity building. During the week, hospitals are expected to conduct fire and electrical safety audits, mock drills, live demonstrations, patient evacuation exercises, webinars, poster-making and quiz activities, especially in medical colleges and large tertiary institutions.