Though it can accommodate middle class patients as much as top clients, it’s still hard to believe that Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital was unable to set up its own sprinkler system.
The fire that broke out at the hospital which forced its closure would have been contained somewhat if there was a functional water sprinkler system.
No harm came to the patients, but that doesn’t mean the possibility is remote for a similar or even a worse incident to happen at any time in the future.
The cause of the fire, embers that came from welding work at a nearby ramp above the basement fell down on a shaft, igniting some linens and spreading the fire at the laundry area.
A functional water sprinkler system is a requirement stipulated in the Fire Code of the Philippines that was amended in 2008. Why the Cebu City Fire Department was negligent to remind Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital to install one remains a mystery, though not to naughty questioning minds who suspect that something irregular may be going on for quite sometime.
Can the same be said of other Cebu City hospitals, some of whom have been in service for decades now and are funded by major backers?
To recall the Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital is one of the several medical institutions that remain locked in a court dispute with Cebu City over its unsettled tax payments which run into hundreds of millions of pesos.
This came about after then Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña complained how the city’s hospitals have availed of the city governmen’s services without them paying a centavo.
Last week’s fire may have highlighted the former mayor’s point; if Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital failed to install a water sprinkler system, how can it ensure the safety of their patients without the city government’s help?
Most importantly, why did the Cebu City Fire Department not pressure Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital to install a water sprinkler system at the time the Fire Code of the Philippines was amended?
And we’re not even talking about other buildings owned by businesses that may have failed to comply with the Fire Code requirements.
Too often, we’ve witnessed how firefighters struggled with limited equipment and riding antiquated fire trucks whose ladders can only reach six floors at the most.
So far Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama had downplayed the tax dispute but he isn’t so understanding when it comes to the Cebu City Fire Department which had to share office space with the medical staff of Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) after last year’s 7.2 magnitude earthquake.
It may be late in the year, but for whatever benefit it can bring, the Cebu City Fire Department should re-assess other buildings to see if it meets requirements lest there be another fire that could claim lives and not just damage property.