Handling critical patients & fatalities, response coordination: Delhi hospitals hold mock drills under Op Abhyaas

Indian Express

07-05-2025

It was a hectic afternoon at Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital's (RML) Emergency Department on Wednesday. Alongside patient care, a mock drill on bomb blast casualty management was conducted as a part of the Operation Abhyaas.
What to do when an attack happens? How to respond quickly to such a situation? These questions were answered during the simulation exercises, which also covered life-saving measures.
Several private and government hospitals in the city took part in similar mock drills. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) earlier this week had directed all states and union territories to hold mock drills on Wednesday under Operation Abhyaas amid India-Pakistan tensions.
The exercises were conducted to check preparedness, response coordination, triage (preliminary assessment) efficiency, and critical care capabilities in the event of a mass casualty incident.
At RML Hospital, the drill started at 4 pm from the main entrance of the Emergency Department, where dummy patients were taken out from ambulances and carried on stretchers in the yellow zone for training of doctors, nurses, and paramedics.
Around 25 patients were carried every five minutes, and they were given immediate care with first aid. Some of them were also taken to the resuscitation room. The doctors and staff were also given training on how they will be taken to the yellow zone, where patients will be given first aid and measures.
Medical superintendent Dr Ajay Shukla said, 'The simulation involved detailed clinical scenarios of blast injuries, including traumatic amputations, penetrating abdominal wounds, blast lung, skull fractures, severe burns, and multi-system trauma.'
'Each victim was assigned a unique profile, requiring multidisciplinary intervention involving departments such as Emergency Medicine, Critical Care, General Surgery, Orthopedics, Neurosurgery, ENT, Ophthalmology, Radiology, and Forensic Medicine,' added Dr Shukla.
The dummy patients, in case of a cardiac arrest or a crucial life-saving measure, were taken to the recovery room, where a quick resuscitation was done on the patients.
Staff were also trained to intubate (inserting a tube through the mouth or nose) on dummy patients if the patient requires life-saving measures.
Dr Shukla said feedback will be taken from different faculty members on how management of patients in a mass casualty situation can be done better. 'We have almost 2,000 doctors and more than 2,000 nurses, and we put our resources in the best way in case of any emergency and disaster,' he said.
The hospital's Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) ambulance services were activated for field triage and transport. Real-time management with imaging, monitoring, and surgical stabilisation was performed as per the individual case vignettes.
Following the drill, a structured debriefing session was held between 5 and 6 pm. It was attended by faculty, residents, and key emergency response stakeholders. Detailed case sheets and management protocols were submitted to the Head of Emergency Medicine for audit and review.
The simulation was designed not only to assess readiness but also to identify gaps. A comprehensive report incorporating 'Root Cause Analysis' (RCA) and 'Corrective and Preventive Actions' (CAPA) is under preparation and will be submitted to institutional authorities for further action, said officials.
At the Delhi government's Lok Nayak Hospital, training was also provided in case of a fatality. The hospital conducted the drill on eight dummy patients.
A mock emergency scenario was created simulating a blast site at Wazirabad water treatment plant, where two patients were brought to the hospital and six from the civic centre.
A similar mock drill was also conducted at Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, simulating an air strike that resulted in building collapse and multiple casualties.
Emergency services, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Police, Fire Brigade, Fire Department, Forensic teams, Central Accident and Trauma Services (CATS), Civil Defence, and other relevant authorities, promptly arrived at the site.
Deepak Narang, Facility Director, Fortis Hospital Shalimar Bagh, said the Fire Department initiated immediate rescue operations, followed by firefighting efforts and a coordinated evacuation process.
Approximately 10 injured patients were quickly stabilised and transferred to Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, with the assistance of Red Health and CATS ambulances.
To ensure timely medical intervention, the Traffic Police facilitated a green corridor between the two hospitals.
The mock drills were also conducted at Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital in Jahangirpuri, Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research in Mehrauli, Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Hospital in Hari Nagar, Apollo Hospital, Charak Palika Hospital, Government Hospital in Burari, and ESIC Hospital.