Hospitals on standby mode

Diwali 2006: As many as 107 patients in and around Chandigarh had to be taken to hospitals after receiving burns and other injuries while bursting crackers. Most of them were children.

Despite awareness drives, educational programmes and a growing concern over the high levels of pollution emitted from crackers, there has been no decline in the number of Diwali casualties. With two days to go before the Festival of Lights, city hospitals have started deploying additional staff, changing the rosters of doctors and announcing helplines to take care of the patient load.

8220;We have been receiving 18 to 20 cases of eye injuries every year, of which four are generally of serious nature causing long-term damage. This time, we have engaged one of our doctors in the advocacy programmes in schools to tell children how to celebrate a safe Diwali. But despite all these awareness programmes organised before the festival, if parents or other elders are not by the children8217;s side as they burst crackers, the latter remain at risk,8221; says Dr Sunandan Sood, head of the Department of Opthalomogy, GMCH-32.

The hospitals have already started receiving cases of cracker and bow-and-arrow injuries. 8220;We had two such cases during Dusshera and it8217;s just a matter of another day when more such cases will start pouring in,8221; added Dr Sood.

Like the PGI8217;s Advanced Eye Centre, which has prepared a special duty roster and circulated its emergency helpline numbers to address the Diwali patients, GMCH, too, will have doctors manning the emergency ward round the clock to take care of the patient load on Diwali.

At GMSH-16, which received nearly 100 cases of injuries last year, the medical staff will be reshuffled to spruce up the emergency services related to burns and face injuries. 8220;Sufficient beds are already in place to deal with any rush of patients,8221; said Dr S K Bhandari, the joint medical superintendent.

The Advanced Eye Centre at PGI will deploy additional staff to deal with the cases. 8220;We have made elaborate arrangements to meet emergencies and provide immediate treatment to the patients. The department has put doctors on special emergency duty round the clock at the Advanced Eye Centre from October 27, 2008, till the morning of October 29, 2008,8221; said a PGI official.

OPDs closed on Tuesday
OPDs at PGI, GMCH-32 and GMSH-16 will be closed on Tuesday, October 28, on account of Diwali. Emergency services in the three hospitals will, however, remain open with special staff on duty to deal with burns and eye injury cases.

Emergency phone numbers

At PGI, for all eye emergencies contact:middot;Advanced Eye Centre Emergency: 2756117

Emergency Mobile No.: 9814014464

At GMCH-32, the hotline number for eye injury cases is 98148-21212

GMSH-16: Emergency can be reached at 102 landline and 0172-2768201, 202. For enquiries dial 0172-2782457

Precautions in case of emergency

Light crackers with a candle, from a safe distance of 2-3 feet. Parents must accompany the children while bursting crackers

Wear protective glasses so that particles from the crackers do not damage eyes. Do not rub eyes in case a foreign particle enters them

In case of an eye injury, do not eat or drink anything before going to the doctor. The patient may need to have an empty stomach in case he or she has to undergo a minor operation