Many city hospitals are preparing themselves for a potentially busy night today. From increasing staff to having 24/7 emergency units on standby, they are going the whole nine yards to ensure Bangalore’s safe entry into 2014.
Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, which has three to four duty doctors in each department, will add additional doctors on duty for the night. “We do this every year so as to ensure that everyone who comes in gets attended on a priority basis,” says Dr Khadri, Medical Superintendent, Bowring Hospital.
At Apollo Hospital, the emergency department will be working round-the-clock, like every other day. “Our disaster management protocol is perfect for any emergency situations. We’re going to make sure that every shift has three doctors available at all times. In addition to these three doctors, a few resident doctors will also be added to each shift. Emergency physicians will also be available. As we have branches all over the city, we’ve made sure that the same protocol is followed in every branch,” informs Dr Venkatesh AN, Senior Consultant and Head of Department, Emergency Medicine, Apollo Hospital.
But hospitals like Victoria and Sanjay Gandhi Hospital are not planning for anything out of the ordinary, but will stay on alert for increased number of casualties.
“Our staff will be ready for any emergency situations. This is true for every day and our staff will be on alert for any accident related cases tomorrow,” says Dr Kantaraj, Resident Medical Officer, Victoria Hospital.