NEW DELHI: In a move reminiscent of the Covid-19 pandemic response, city hospitals have activated high-level emergency protocols following rising tensions along the India-Pakistan border. With the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issuing strict directives to ensure full medical preparedness, central government hospitals in the capital are now operating in a heightened state of alert—suspending all leave, stockpiling critical supplies, and readying disaster wards for any potential mass casualty scenarios.
On Friday, the Health Ministry held a high-level review meeting to assess emergency health readiness across the country. Soon after, a circular was issued directing that no leave, including station leave, be granted to any medical officer except on medical grounds, until further notice.
Acting swiftly, AIIMS Delhi’s trauma centre cancelled all forms of leave for its staff. Lady Hardinge Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital have followed suit, suspending summer vacations for senior doctors and teaching faculty respectively, to maintain maximum on-ground availability.
Hospitals have been advised to ensure adequate supplies of essential medicines, oxygen, blood units, and trauma kits. Similar to the pandemic response, AIIMS and other central government hospitals have mobilised teams of doctors and nurses with critical supplies for rapid deployment. Coordination efforts with district authorities, the armed forces, private hospitals, and charitable institutions have also been initiated to build an integrated emergency response network.
In a clear indication of the seriousness of the situation, dedicated disaster management wards are being prepared. The National TB Hospital in Mehrauli has reserved a 50-bed ward, while Lok Nayak Hospital has allocated 70 beds and trained 250 healthcare workers to handle trauma cases linked to the escalating border crisis. The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) has also issued an advisory, urging hospitals and clinics to cancel all non-essential activities—including academic and socio-cultural events—and focus entirely on emergency preparedness.