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Time of India
3 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Slow-traffic blow to critical care: Hospitals in Kolkata take guard
1 2 Kolkata: Several city private hospitals have initiated measures to ensure that critical patients can reach on time during this rainy spell. Often unavailability of transport and traffic snarls result in delayed arrival of the patient at the hospital. This may turn out to be fatal. The hospitals have deployed ambulances at strategic locations across the city. They have roped in more clinical staff at emergencies for a longer duration. Online or telephonic advice for patients, who suffered a heart attack, brain stroke, or severe injuries, are also being offered. Doctors claimed that often heart attack or brain stroke patients fail to reach the hospital within the 'golden hour' (within an hour of the attack), which turns out to be decisive. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Charnock Hospital has launched a dedicated ambulance service between the VIP Road and Chinar Park crossings. A special patient pick-up point has been set up at VIP crossing to ensure swift transfers to the emergency department. The ambulances are equipped with advanced life support. "In critical cases, every minute matters," said Prashant Sharma, managing director, Charnock Hospital. Due to incessant rain and increased traffic congestion over the last week, many patients complained of either facing an acute shortage of ambulances or getting stranded in traffic for extended hours, said BP Poddar Hospital group advisor, Supriyo Chakrabarty. "We instructed all our ambulances to remain active round-the-clock. Additionally, we tied up with external providers to deploy two more Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances to ensure a faster response during emergencies. Since these are equipped with life-saving equipment along with an emergency medical team, treatment starts immediately," said Chakrabarty. A few days ago, BP Poddar Hospital received a call from a patient's relative who was on the way to the hospital with a suspected cardiac arrest. "They were coming from Kolaghat but got stranded near Dhulagarh due to congestion. We immediately mobilised our ACLS ambulance, which got the patient on board near Santragachi. The patient later underwent primary angioplasty around 2 am at our hospital," said Chakrabarty. Manipal Hospitals deployed a fleet of over 30 fully-equipped ambulances across the city, each staffed with trained emergency technicians and doctors, said Ayanabh Debgupta, regional COO – Manipal Hospitals (East). At Narayana Hospital, Howrah, a round-the-clock ALS ambulance service was arranged with consultant and paramedic support for the smooth transition of emergency patients. "The ambulances are equipped to handle cardiac, neuro, and other emergencies. We also have a special Acute Care Unit in the emergency department to deal with critical cases," said Tapani Ghosh, facility director, Narayana Hospital, Howrah.
Indian Express
07-05-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Handling critical patients & fatalities, response coordination: Delhi hospitals hold mock drills under Op Abhyaas
It was a hectic afternoon at Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital's (RML) Emergency Department on Wednesday. Alongside patient care, a mock drill on bomb blast casualty management was conducted as a part of the Operation Abhyaas. What to do when an attack happens? How to respond quickly to such a situation? These questions were answered during the simulation exercises, which also covered life-saving measures. Several private and government hospitals in the city took part in similar mock drills. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) earlier this week had directed all states and union territories to hold mock drills on Wednesday under Operation Abhyaas amid India-Pakistan tensions. The exercises were conducted to check preparedness, response coordination, triage (preliminary assessment) efficiency, and critical care capabilities in the event of a mass casualty incident. At RML Hospital, the drill started at 4 pm from the main entrance of the Emergency Department, where dummy patients were taken out from ambulances and carried on stretchers in the yellow zone for training of doctors, nurses, and paramedics. Around 25 patients were carried every five minutes, and they were given immediate care with first aid. Some of them were also taken to the resuscitation room. The doctors and staff were also given training on how they will be taken to the yellow zone, where patients will be given first aid and measures. Medical superintendent Dr Ajay Shukla said, 'The simulation involved detailed clinical scenarios of blast injuries, including traumatic amputations, penetrating abdominal wounds, blast lung, skull fractures, severe burns, and multi-system trauma.' 'Each victim was assigned a unique profile, requiring multidisciplinary intervention involving departments such as Emergency Medicine, Critical Care, General Surgery, Orthopedics, Neurosurgery, ENT, Ophthalmology, Radiology, and Forensic Medicine,' added Dr Shukla. The dummy patients, in case of a cardiac arrest or a crucial life-saving measure, were taken to the recovery room, where a quick resuscitation was done on the patients. Staff were also trained to intubate (inserting a tube through the mouth or nose) on dummy patients if the patient requires life-saving measures. Dr Shukla said feedback will be taken from different faculty members on how management of patients in a mass casualty situation can be done better. 'We have almost 2,000 doctors and more than 2,000 nurses, and we put our resources in the best way in case of any emergency and disaster,' he said. The hospital's Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) ambulance services were activated for field triage and transport. Real-time management with imaging, monitoring, and surgical stabilisation was performed as per the individual case vignettes. Following the drill, a structured debriefing session was held between 5 and 6 pm. It was attended by faculty, residents, and key emergency response stakeholders. Detailed case sheets and management protocols were submitted to the Head of Emergency Medicine for audit and review. The simulation was designed not only to assess readiness but also to identify gaps. A comprehensive report incorporating 'Root Cause Analysis' (RCA) and 'Corrective and Preventive Actions' (CAPA) is under preparation and will be submitted to institutional authorities for further action, said officials. At the Delhi government's Lok Nayak Hospital, training was also provided in case of a fatality. The hospital conducted the drill on eight dummy patients. A mock emergency scenario was created simulating a blast site at Wazirabad water treatment plant, where two patients were brought to the hospital and six from the civic centre. A similar mock drill was also conducted at Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, simulating an air strike that resulted in building collapse and multiple casualties. Emergency services, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Police, Fire Brigade, Fire Department, Forensic teams, Central Accident and Trauma Services (CATS), Civil Defence, and other relevant authorities, promptly arrived at the site. Deepak Narang, Facility Director, Fortis Hospital Shalimar Bagh, said the Fire Department initiated immediate rescue operations, followed by firefighting efforts and a coordinated evacuation process. Approximately 10 injured patients were quickly stabilised and transferred to Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, with the assistance of Red Health and CATS ambulances. To ensure timely medical intervention, the Traffic Police facilitated a green corridor between the two hospitals. The mock drills were also conducted at Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital in Jahangirpuri, Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research in Mehrauli, Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Hospital in Hari Nagar, Apollo Hospital, Charak Palika Hospital, Government Hospital in Burari, and ESIC Hospital.
