New Delhi, May 3 (IANS) Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava will launch on Monday a pan-India ‘Fire Safety Week’ in collaboration with all states/Union Territories (UTs) and Central Ministries to raise awareness on fire hazard prevention, an official said on Sunday.

“The ‘Fire Safety Week’, to be observed from May 4 to 10, will kick off a series of awareness and preparedness activities to be conducted nationwide,” a statement said.

“As part of the inaugural event, a pledge on ‘Fire Safety in Health Facilities’ will be administered by the Secretary (Health), reaffirming the commitment of all stakeholders towards ensuring strict adherence to fire safety norms, strengthening preparedness, and fostering a culture of safety within healthcare institutions,” it added.

During the week-long observance, states and UTs would undertake a range of activities, including awareness campaigns, mock drills and capacity-building initiatives.

“Dissemination of fire safety protocols, aimed at sensitising healthcare personnel and administrators on fire prevention, emergency response, and evacuation procedures will also be part of the activities,” the statement said.

“The observance of ‘Fire Safety Week’ underscores the Health Ministry’s continued commitment to safeguarding patients, healthcare workers, and critical infrastructure by promoting robust fire safety mechanisms and fostering a culture of safety and preparedness across all levels of the healthcare delivery system,” the statement added.

Earlier, in a significant step towards strengthening child health services in the country, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) 2.0 Guidelines at a recent national summit.

The guidelines were released at the recently concluded National Summit on Good Practices and Innovations in Public Healthcare Service Delivery, a statement said.

The RBSK 2.0 Guidelines mark a major advancement in India’s flagship child health screening programme, building on more than a decade of implementation and expanding its scope to address emerging child health priorities.

“The updated framework reinforces and broadens the established 4Ds approach — Defects at Birth, Diseases, Deficiencies and Developmental Delays, while incorporating new-age health challenges including non-communicable diseases, mental health conditions, and behavioural concerns,” the statement added.

–IANS

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