Stampede at Elphinstone Road: How KEM Hospital staff prepared themselves to take care of patients

King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEM) that is located near Elphinstone Road railway station went on overdrive on Friday after news of a stampede that killed 27 people started doing the rounds.

The hospital is located at least 10 minutes from the station and as soon as they received the police alert of the incident, they sprung into action, according to this thread shared by Twitter user Amit Thadani, who is a surgeon.

As soon as police contacts the hospital. Pre-designated ward is emptied out and prepared within minutes. Residents and bosses of all departments are informed and called to the emergency room. Minor or uninjured are admitted in designated ward, while the seriously injured are admitted to the trauma unit where dedicated teams rapidly stabilise them. All are admitted to hospital to avoid missing even a single patient with serious injury that may not be detected till after a few hours. Meanwhile, surgical, neuro, ortho teams work through the next 48-72 hours virtually non-stop, operating critical patients back to back. table patients who need surgery, such as for fracture, are worked up and posted in regular OT list that may go on for several days. No private hospital can match the sheer efficiency with which these hospitals (at least LTMGH and KEM) manage mass casualties and trauma," he said in a thread that has gone viral.

How a municipal hospital deals with mass casualty such as victims of #elphinstone tragedy. As soon as police contacts the hospital, 1/n

— Amit Thadhani (@amitsurg) September 29, 2017

How a municipal hospital deals with mass casualty such as victims of #elphinstone tragedy. As soon as police contacts the hospital, 1/n

— Amit Thadhani (@amitsurg) September 29, 2017

Minor or uninjured are admitted in designated ward. Seriously injured in trauma unit where dedicated teams rapidly stabilize them. 3/n

— Amit Thadhani (@amitsurg) September 29, 2017

All are admitted to hospital to avoid missing even a single patient with serious injury that may not be detected till after a few hours. 4/n

— Amit Thadhani (@amitsurg) September 29, 2017

Meanwhile, surgical, neuro, ortho teams work through the next 48-72 hours virtually non-stop, operating critical patients back to back. 5/n

— Amit Thadhani (@amitsurg) September 29, 2017

Stable patients who need surgery, such as for fracture, are worked up and posted in regular OT list that may go on for several days. 6/n

— Amit Thadhani (@amitsurg) September 29, 2017

KEM Hospital officials even told DNA that 400 citizens had shared their names and details to voluntarily donate blood.  A number of WhatsApp forwards did the rounds requesting for A-ve, B-ve and AB-ve blood samples.

KEM Hospital on an average treats 1.7 million patients every year.