NEW DELHI: Amid uncertainties surrounding the military conflict with Pakistan, the Delhi government has directed all state-run hospitals and health facilities to ramp up emergency preparedness, including painting a Red Cross sign on hospital rooftops to signify medical facilities from the air.
“It will help distinguish medical facilities during aerial surveillance or in the event of conflict-related incidents,” an official said.
The instructions, issued in the wake of learnings from the recent Operation Abhyaas mock drill, mandate urgent steps to ensure uninterrupted patient care and readiness for any emergency.
According to a government official, hospitals have been instructed to conduct a fresh drill on emergency preparedness.
The Directorate General of Health Services in its order has stressed the urgency of compliance, citing Clause 14 of the Delhi Nursing Homes Registration Rules, 2011, which outlines obligations of private healthcare facilities during disasters and public emergencies.
According to the rules, hospitals are required to cooperate with the government in providing essential medical assistance and must not refuse treatment to critically injured patients under any circumstances.
Additionally, they must ensure adequate stockpiling of essential medicines and consumables, maintain operational generator with sufficient fuel backup, and confirm full-functionality of emergency services such as ICUs, oxygen supply systems, and ventilators.
Hospitals have also been directed to cancel leaves of specialist such as surgeons, orthopaedicians, and burn care experts to ensure 24x7 availability of trauma care.
Further, facilities must update ICU bed and equipment data on the designated ICU portal, ensure cyber-security of hospital websites, and maintain ample food supplies to keep services running.
No need to panic, all supplies in place: Sirsa
Assuring that there is no shortage of supplies in the national capital, Delhi Food and Supplies Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa urged the public not to panic or resort to bulk buying of essential goods. “All essential items are sufficiently available in Delhi. People should continue with daily lives as usual
Cops map shelters, plan evacuation
Police intensified emergency preparedness efforts, including identifying basements that can serve as shelters during air raids and compiling a list of children and elderly residents to ensure swift evacuation, an official said on Saturday. Instructions have been issued to all district units to identify and earmark safe shelters, especially basements of residential and commercial buildings and metro stations, where civilians can take refuge in the event of an air raid or missile attack, the official said. A special drive has also been launched to prepare lists of vulnerable individuals, including children and elderly citizens.