5 temporary hospitals, 90 medical teams at Ganga ghats for Chhath

PATNA: Five temporary hospitals with doctors, nursing and paramedical staff, instruments and emergency medicines will be set up at the Chhath ghats from Danapur to Patna City for the festival which is likely to see lakhs of devotees on the banks of the Ganga offering prayers to Sun God on November 19 and 20.
These temporary hospitals would be set up at Patipul Ghat, Number 93 Ghat, Collectorate Ghat, Law College Ghat and Gai Ghat.
Patna civil surgeon Dr Shrawan Kumar on Tuesday said over 90 medical teams, including doctors and paramedical staff, were being deputed at different Chhath ghats and at some large ponds like Mangal Talab in Patna City, besides ponds in Gardanibag and Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park for the occasion.
After the district administration declared 100 Ganga ghats as safe for the devotees, the civil surgeon office was busy planning static medical teams too at some locations. Dr Kumar said about 60 additional doctors have been requisitioned from PMCH and NMCH for Chhath deputations.
Besides, all district hospitals, primary and community health centres have been directed to make arrangements at local level for providing medical emergency services to people reaching the Chhath ghats.
District epidemiologist-cum-nodal officer for Chhath preparations, Dr Prashant Kumar said as per the direction of the civil surgeon, five two-bed temporary hospitals, each with two doctors and paramedical staff and ambulance services, were being set up at bigger ghats.
Dr Prashant said about 50 ambulances would be ready at both Ganga and other ghats for any emergency.
PMCH has also geared up its preparations for any health emergency during the Chhath festival. PMCH medical superintendent Dr IS Thakur said about 50 beds, including 15 in medical and surgical intensive care units (ICUs), seven in emergency and over 25 in general wards, would be reserved during Chhath festival while the number of doctors on duty in all these departments was also doubled up for both November 19 and 20.
IGIMS has reserved 10 ICU beds and alerted its emergency department to increase the number of doctors on duty and keep arrangements for any emergent situation.
Dr Manish Mandal, IGIMS superintendent, said as accidental drowning and stampede were the main unexpected situations in the events of people’s congregation at river ghats, the hospital would keep ready all equipment and medicines required to provide medical aid.