Ambulances seen parked on a hospital premises amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, at Uri, in Baramulla district of north Kashmir, Thursday
| Photo Credit:
PTI
Hospitals in the country, especially those in border States or sensitive regions have activated emergency protocols, following the evolving volatile situation between India and Pakistan.
Local administrations have been in touch with corporate hospitals in Rajasthan, Punjab and Delhi, taking stock of different requirements, including hospital beds available at some of the private hospitals in Rajasthan, for example, said a hospital administrator. Dry runs were conducted with ambulances, as they would in case of an emergency. Some hospitals were also part of the recent mock-drills, requiring them to turn-off lights and bright signages outside the hospitals, although they were allowed to continue operations inside, representatives with multiple corporate hospitals across these States told businessline. While no formal advisory has been issued by the Centre yet, hospital representatives said employees have been put on alert, given the fast-moving developments between the two countries.
A spokesperson for hospital-chain Fortis said, “We are prepared to manage any potential medical exigency in the event of an escalation. We have robust SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) in place for disaster response. Dedicated critical care beds, essential medical supplies, and trained emergency personnel, including doctors, paramedics and support staff, have been designated to ensure rapid response and 24/7 support. Internal coordination mechanisms are active to ensure smooth operations and care.” An Apollo Hospitals (Delhi) representative said, they too had conducted a drill on general preparedness on resources, response and patient-flow management.
Covid-like preparedness
In Mumbai, Hinduja Hospital Chief Executive Gautam Khanna said, they have activated protocols including taking stock of inventory and running response checks, to ensure they are ready in case of any emergency. Other States too, including those in the South, are seeing hospital administrations “being mindful” of the situation at the Northern border, added the chief of another pan-India hospital network.
Hospitals braved their toughest emergency recently during Covid-19, when there was a scramble for beds, oxygen, medicines and medical staff and hospital administrations were under tremendous pressure, said one hospital representative. With that memory still fresh in their minds, many hospital administrations have switched to that mode to be ready in case of an emergency, he added.
Published on May 8, 2025
