Telangana releases ₹11.1 crore for RIMS Adilabad repairs, orders safety audits of all hospitals
The Telangana government has released ₹11.1 crore for urgent repairs and renovation at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Adilabad, days after a fire at the hospital killed five infants.
Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha has directed officials to begin the repair and infrastructure restoration work immediately and to complete it on priority. The funds were released after the district administration, in coordination with other departments, carried out a field inspection and prepared estimates for the work required at the hospital.
Of the total allocation, ₹5 crore — the largest share — has been earmarked for the maintenance and repair of toilets and bathrooms at the hospital. Another ₹1.6 crore will go towards repairing the cement concrete (CC) pavement and the damaged compound wall within the RIMS premises.
A sum of ₹1.5 crore has been sanctioned for urgent repairs to the oxygen pipeline system and ₹1 crore for electrical repairs. A further ₹1 crore has been set aside for renovation of the Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU), and ₹1 crore for painting the hospital building.
RIMS Adilabad is a government medical college and teaching hospital that serves patients from Adilabad and neighbouring districts in northern Telangana. Its Sick Newborn Care Unit provides care for premature and critically ill newborns, while the oxygen pipeline system supplies wards and critical care areas across the hospital.
The release of funds comes as the health department steps up its review of fire safety measures in government and private hospitals across Telangana following the RIMS incident. The Minister has directed that fire safety, electrical safety and structural safety audits be completed in all government hospitals within one month.
He has also ordered that fire and electrical safety audits be conducted once every six months, and structural safety audits once a year. The government will soon issue a Government Order (GO) containing comprehensive fire safety guidelines and a standard checklist for hospitals, he said.
The checklist is expected to cover fire alarms, extinguishers, hydrants, sprinkler systems, fire water lines, emergency exits and lighting, electrical panels and wiring, diesel generator (DG) sets, air-conditioning units and oxygen supply systems. Audits will also verify whether safety equipment already installed in these hospitals is functional.
The fire at RIMS Adilabad, in which five infants died, drew attention to safety infrastructure at government hospitals in the state. The government has not, in its announcements so far, stated what caused the fire. The measures announced focus on restoring facilities at the affected hospital and on putting in place a system of periodic safety audits across Telangana.
The department's review extends to private hospitals as well. Officials said the audits are intended to identify gaps in safety arrangements and to ensure that corrective work is taken up without delay. The repair works at RIMS Adilabad are to be taken up immediately, with the Minister asking officials to treat them as a priority.
