Code Yellow—inside a mock drill at Delhi's RML Hospital
Hospital staff are ready with stretchers, and doctors on the spot to treat the patients who were taken inside and divided in four groups through a process called triage where patients are categorised based on the severity of illness or injury and the availability of resources.
'Code Yellow' in a hospital setting indicates an internal emergency or a disaster situation. The doctors on duty at one of the city's busiest hospitals rushed to the emergency centre. Outside, blaring ambulances bring patients. Each has three patients.
New Delhi: 'All doctors assemble, all doctors assemble!'—announced the speakers at Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital around 4 pm Wednesday, declaring a 'Code Yellow' as part of a nation-wide mock drill to prepare the population at large for any hostile scenario in view of the escalating tensions with Pakistan.
Similar drills were conducted at other hospitals and other establishments such as markets, government infrastructure, airports and community buildings.
The exercise aimed at training civilians on how to respond to situations like hostile attacks, blackouts or when an air-raid warning is issued. The mock drills across the cities are being carried out under the Civil Defence Act of 1968. This is the first time since the 1971 Bangladesh war that such largescale drill was conducted across the country.
Across the country, 244 civil defence districts were identified for the drill. In Delhi, sirens blared at 55 locations including the Khan Market, the NDMC building and the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The patients brought to the RML Hospital as part of the drill were first attended to by the group of doctors at the receiving area of emergency, who put coloured bands on their wrists.
The green tag meant no immediate action was required while yellow indicated minor injuries. However, the patients with red bands were sent to critical care assessment. The black band declared death.
The mock drill at RML Hospital involved 21 patients, each with different injuries and issues. One person with chest injury, another with leg fracture.
Doctors from different departments attended to the patients.
The RML and the Lok Nayak hospitals have around 1,600 beds each.
Speaking to ThePrint, RML Hospital Medical Superintendent Ajay Shukla said this situation is not like other disasters. 'We do not know how many beds we would need. However, we are prepared for the worst. This will not affect the regular patients, because we have a different team of doctors and nurses deployed for Code Yellow.'
He also directed the doctors not to leave the city without his permission.
LNJP Hospital
The mock drill here lasted around 20 minutes.
LNJP Chief Medical Officer Anuj Kumar said, 'We currently have 50 beds in emergency, we will increase it depending on the number of patients.'
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
Also Read: Mock drills to 'Code Brown' prep, how Delhi NCR hospitals are bracing for potential emergencies
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