New Delhi: Amid rising India-Pakistan tensions, health departments and hospitals across northern and western India have activated emergency protocols, cancelled leaves of medical personnel, and mobilised a healthcare network—a dynamic link between facilities for augmentation or optimisation of available resources in case of an exigency.
Officials in the state health administration in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Delhi told ThePrint Friday that they have been taking stock of available resources, assessing requirements, anticipating possible medical emergencies and working on creating a real-time database on available health resources in every district.
“We have reviewed the availability of manpower, beds, ambulances and medicines in every district, and district collectors have been instructed to join a dynamic healthcare network so that resources can be quickly mobilised between districts whenever needed,” Gayatri Rathore, principal secretary, health and family welfare, Rajasthan, told ThePrint over phone.
“Also, the status of life-saving drugs and necessary consumables has been reviewed,” Rathore added.
This comes after Pakistan armed forces, according to a statement by the Indian Army, launched multiple attacks using drones and other munitions along India’s “entire western border” on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. Pakistani troops also resorted to numerous ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu & Kashmir. This follows India’s Operation Sindoor in the early hours of Wednesday in response to the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack.
A senior official in Punjab state health department, who wished to not be named, also said that hospitals had been asked to activate emergency protocol preparedness and to keep their rapid response teams mobilised.
Similar advisories were also issued in Gujarat, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir, according to official sources.
A director level official in Gujarat told ThePrint that the state health department had instructed all hospitals—public and private—to dedicate beds for critical care in case of emergency and assign manpower who can be part of rapid response teams, should the need arise.
In New Delhi, Union health minister J.P. Nadda held an internal meeting to review the emergency preparedness across the country following which leaves of all healthcare personnels, except medical leaves, in hospitals run by the central government were cancelled with immediate effect.
“The availability of beds and human resources in hospitals were also reviewed with a special focus on bordering states and, depending on the developing security situation, a meeting with state health ministers may be called soon,” said a source in the ministry.
Similar orders were issued for hospitals under the Delhi government Thursday.
“I was away on a holiday outside Delhi but have been asked to join back duty within a day. All our leaves, including summer vacations, which senior doctors are entitled to, stand cancelled,” said a doctor in Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital, a 1,532-bed institution run by the Ministry of Health.
In a statement issued Friday the Health Ministry said that Nadda took a stock of the current status of medical preparedness for handling emergency cases and also reviewed deployment of ambulances; availability of medical supplies including equipment, medicines, supply of blood vials and consumables; and hospital readiness in terms of beds, ICU and high dependency unit.
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Dry runs, Covid-like preparedness
Authorities at several hospitals in districts where drone and missile threats were reported said they had conducted ambulance dry runs and activated emergency protocols, similar to those used during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We had taken part in mock drill as mandated by the government and also enforced blackout as per the instruction given by the district administration Thursday night, though medical services continued unabated throughout,” said Gurinder Agarwal, Medical Director at S.A.S Grewal Multispeciality Hospital in Ludhiana, Punjab.
In a statement issued Friday, Fortis Hospital in Amritsar, too, said that in response to the advisory issued by the district authorities, the facility had activated its emergency preparedness protocols to ensure comprehensive readiness for any medical emergencies.
Amritsar, like several districts neighbouring Pakistan, saw enforcement of a complete blackout Thursday night for several hours as part of the security protocol.
“The key measures undertaken include emergency services placed on high alert, rapid response team fully mobilised, trauma team on standby and beds reserved for emergency admissions” Fortis Amritsar said.
The hospital added that it had stocked up on critical drugs, medical consumables, and blood bank reserves, while emergency response drills were being conducted to ensure swift and coordinated action.
“Additionally, in compliance with International Red Cross guidelines, and as directed by the authorities, a Red Cross symbol has been clearly marked on the hospital rooftop to aid in aerial identification during emergencies,” the hospital said.
Control and command centre at Health Ministry
The statement issued by the health ministry Friday said, “Hospitals and medical institutions have been advised to ensure availability of essential drugs, adequate supply of blood, oxygen, trauma care kits etc,” the statement said, adding that All India Institute Of Medical Sciences Delhi (AIIMS), New Delhi and other central government hospitals have mobilised doctors and nurses with supplies for ready deployment.
They have been advised to coordinate with state and district administration, armed forces and regional associations of doctors, nurses, paramedics, private sector hospitals, charitable institutions etc, to strengthen the emergency response networks in a collaborative manner, the statement said.
Additionally, it has been directed that a 24×7 control and command centre in the Ministry of Health should monitor ongoing efforts and support states in present times.
Apart from this, nationwide mock drills for disaster preparedness have been conducted at AIIMS, PGIMER, JIPMER and other premier hospitals, according to the statement.
For capacity building in emergency healthcare, additional training modules for cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR, first aid, and basic life support are being rolled out with support from Indian Red Cross Society, National Institute of Health & Family Welfare (NIHFW), AIIMS New Delhi and iGOT—integrated government online training run by the Centre.
The ministry also said that Union health secretary Punya Salila Srivastava had been taking a series of meetings with states and central government hospitals for seamless coordination with relevant stakeholders at the Centre and within the states for ensuring effective response.
Nadda, said the statement, has directed to ensure that all medical emergency response health systems be adequately equipped and functional at all times.
He also directed to ensure that ground level linkages with all state governments particularly at the district levels, especially border states, be effectively established to ensure immediate emergency healthcare, if required.
This report has been updated to reflect latest developments
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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