Journalism of Courage
From plague to treating Mahatma Gandhi and from offering relief for Swine Flu patients to the most recent German Bakery blast,Sassoon Hospital has been the one-point-relief centre for all the disasters in the city
It was 6.30 pm on February 13,when the phone in Sassoon hospital rang and even before the person on the other side finished conveying the message,the ambulance sirens made it impossible for the doctor online to hear the conversation. Before the speculations about whether the German bakery blast was a terror strike or cylinder explosion could be given a concrete conclusion,the lobby of the hospital was flooded with countless victims,and numerous relatives who came searching for their family members. At the epicentre of the chaos was a team of 40 doctors who had rushed to the hospital immediately after the first phone call ready to manage and treat the flow of victims that continued without stopping for over a week.
Being the epicentre of relief during social disasters is not new for the Sassoon Hospital that has always been the first point relief centre right since its inception. And just as the recent blasts have had a Jewish connection,not many know that the hospital that has been offering treatment to the blast victims draws its name from David Sassoon,a Jew,who donated the funds to construct this hospital in the year 1869. Some of the first records of relief offered by the hospital date back to 1892 when the city was caught under plague. The records of the help offered by the hospital can be still found in the documents at the hospital, says Dr Arun Jamkar,dean,Sassoon Hospital.
With the first expansion plan of the hospital undertaken by the then British Government in 1909 the hospital was equipped with cancer and neurology departments by 1911. The old building that reflects the charm of British-Victorian style of architecture boasts of having witnessed some of the most important events in the history of India that the city has played host to. Mahatma Gandhi,during his imprisonment at the Yerawda Jail in 1924 was admitted to the hospital for Appendicitis. The operation theatre where he was operated has been converted into a small museum that boasts of Gandhis photographs and letters to him by some of the most important leaders in the history of Indias freedom struggle, says Jamkar.
Gandhiji was operated by one Colonel,Dr. Maddock on January 12,1924. During the operation,the lights went off,and the operation was carried out in candlelight. It is great to see that the documents we maintain today are similar to those being maintained during those days. It is a great feeling to be associated with a historic institution such as this, says Sarojini Kavatikkar,staff nurse.
Be it the floods that hit the city in 1961 or the recent swine flu pandemic that placed the city on the global map- for the wrong reasons,the 1300-bed hospital,on a given day is flooded by a minimum of 1500 patients who visit the OPD (out patient department) or the operation theatre for getting treatments for all sorts of diseases. On a normal day,including the staff,patients and the relatives there are over 10,000 people present in the campus at any given moment, says Jamkar.
With the current staff strength of about 2000,that includes 295 resident doctors- the backbone of the institution,800 nurses,about 700 support staff along with 34 gazetted professors and 60- 70 visiting doctors,the hospital treats about 3,50,000 patients every year successfully,conducting over 30,000 surgeries.
During the swine flu pandemic,we constructed an ICU within 24- hours. Not only that we are one of the most well equipped government hospitals across the country with mechanisms ready for disaster management for natural as well as social calamities like terror attack,blasts,accidents and so on, adds Jamkar.
Having celebrated the diamond jubilee a year ago (considering 1909,the year of expansion),the hospitals inputs in the research work related to the HIV virus transfer from mother to the infant have been accepted as the guidelines by the World Heath Organisation.
The affection of David Sassoon for this establishment is a known fact amongst staff members here as many jokingly say that the good ghost of David Sassoon continues to roam through the corridors of the old building. Similar is the case with the doctors here for whom being on call 24X7 has become part of their lives, says Radhabai Nande,a heart patient.
