Medical professionals faced many hassles while reaching victims after the German Bakery blast.
Even as city doctors faced a Herculean task in reaching the German Bakery (GB) to help victims of the dreaded terrorist attack two years ago, a similar situation is likely to arise if such an unfortunate situation confronts them again. Despite repeated appeals made by doctors to city police for special identity cards to enable the former to reach a spot where help is needed without any restriction, the city police are in no mood to oblige.
Post GB blast, bodies like Indian Medical Association (IMA) had approached the city police to get I-cards authorised by cops for doctors.
“The idea was to reach the disaster spot with minimum hassle. During the GB blast, doctors had faced a lot of hassle and despite being available in the vicinity, many couldn’t help reach victims. That’s because a huge crowd had gathered and police had cordoned off area and in order to keep crowds away roads were also blocked, some doctors faced difficulty in reaching German Bakery,’’ said
Dr Ambarish Shahade, president of Indian Medical
Association, Pune.
Doctors say that the identity cards were part of disaster management plan that organisations like IMA had drawn up in an effort to reach casualty spots within the first 10-15 minutes of terror attacks.
“In emergency medicine services (EMS), the stress is on the golden hour or help reached within first one hour of accident or trauma. Keeping this in mind, coupled with our experience during GB blast, we approached the police for I-cards. If the cards are issued by commissioner or a senior official and bears stamp of police authority, the policemen on ground can facilitate the doctors in reaching the spot and wouldn’t stop them. But our request hasn’t been granted
yet,’’ said
Dr Hillary Rodrigues, ex-chairperson of IMA’s disaster management cell, who had floated the idea of special identity cards.
He added that the IMA had already started conducting disaster management workshops with doctors and that a large number of private doctors and even leading hospitals had agreed to co-ordinate on this subject.
“We didn’t want the cards for all doctors. We are imparting specialised training in EMS to batches of doctors and only those trained in disaster management should be issued identity cards. The idea was to form area or zonewise groups and in case of any casualty, the group from that area is alerted so trained doctors can rush to any emergency spot within minutes,’’ added Rodrigues.
However, police commissioner Meeran Borwankar said there is no need for separate identity cards. “In crisis situations like these, doctors are always permitted on the spot on basis of their identity cards. Hence, why do they need separate identity cards issued by police? We issue such cards only to honorary doctors attached to police hospital,’’ she said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}