Disaster Management

SOPS FOR DISASTER

  • Principal (teaching hospital), Medical Superintendent, Additional Medical Superintendent (In charge Emergency Department) / Deputy Medical Superintendent on duty, after consultation with Medical Superintendent/ Principal will activate the Disaster Management Plan.
  • Police, Fire Department and Health Department will be informed about the disaster.
  • Immediate information will be provided throughout the hospital by telephone operator regarding disaster.
  • Depending upon the seriousness and scale of the emergency, physicians, surgeons and other hospital staff who are off-duty will be recalled. All hospital departments will be on alert and professor of surgery of the unit on call in Emergency Department will act as operational head of Disaster Management Plan.
  • Heads of important areas like Admission Office, X-Ray Department, Emergency Theaters, CSSD, Laboratory, Blood Bank, etc. will be given instructions for. Manning their areas properly.
  • Additional staff will be assigned as needed.
  • Security and support personnel will control the traffic in and around the hospital.
  • Triage will be initiated in the lobby of ground floor of Emergency Department, adjacent to the ambulance entrance.
  • Casualties will not be allowed to accumulate and sorting out of casualties will be done rapidly.
  • Patients will be routed to appropriate places without delay.
  • Patients with life threatening conditions and bleeding will be referred to operation theater (OT) directly.
  • Serious casualties, chest/ abdominal trauma and open fractures will be referred to Surgery.
  • Traumatized pregnant women, women in labor room or having
  • Complications of pregnancy Will be referred to Labor and Delivery suite.
  • Medical emergencies to ICU.
  • Fractures to Orthopedic and then to Radiology Department.
  • Minor injuries to Minor Operation Theater (MOT).
  • Behavioral emergencies to Psychiatry Department.
  • Uninjured will be discharged.
  • Dead on arrival to the Mortuary.
  • Treatment will be started as soon as possible.
  • Complete data about patients (total number, names, male and female, age, seriousness, etc.) will be obtained and forwarded to Public Relation Officer (PRO), Media, Police, Health Department, Political Representatives and will be displayed on notice board for relatives of patients.
  • Public Relation Department or DMS, deputed for this duty will
    • Release information to media.
    • Prepare and post updated casualty list.
  • All routine activities in Emergency Department will be deferred.
  • Portable X-ray machine will be made available in Emergency Department.
  • A mortuary register will be kept. It will list bodies with their identification, date and time of arrival and date and time of handing over to police.
  • Only the persons who have activated the plan will be authorized for termination of the disaster status. Personnel Will, then return to their respective places of work.

MANAGEMENT OF DISASTER AT THE SITE

Some times hospitals are directed by Health Department to approach the disaster site or the Hospital Authorities on their own may reach the site on receiving call regarding mishap. The approach of management at the disaster site will be the following: