Health dept issues alert to all state-run medical colleges to tackle crisis

Kolkata: The collapse of Majerhat Bridge has prompted the state Health department to issue an alert to all the state-run medical colleges in the city, asking them to put in place adequate arrangements to tackle the crisis.

SSKM Hospital, where most of the injured persons were taken to, has been asked to keep adequate arrangements of beds. An additional cabin has been thrown open just beside the emergency ward of the hospital to handle the extra rush of injured victims. Special arrangements have been made at the emergency ward and around 50 more stretchers have been brought in.

Following the Chief Minister's instruction, minister of state for Health Chandrima Bhattacharya rushed to SSKM Hospital along with the senior officials of her department, to monitor the situation. Bhattacharya instructed the senior officials of the hospital to ensure immediate attention to all the injured victims.

The Health department also asked the hospital authorities to keep all the department heads ready during the crisis.

According to the hospital sources, 15 persons have been undergoing treatment at SSKM Hospital, while two of them are stated to be in critical condition. One victim has succumbed to his injuries in the hospital in the evening.

Hospital authorities had faced difficulties in informing the family members of some of the injured victims, who did not have mobile phones with them. There was a rush at the X-Ray and CT Scan rooms of the hospital following the incident, as most of the victims have suffered limb injuries, while some have head and spine injuries.

An extra ITU has been made operational to provide treatment to the patients who have suffered serious injuries. It has been learnt that there were also some elderly persons among the injured who were brought to the hospital. The hospital authorities are yet to give a detailed account of the injured victims.

An information centre has been made operational in the hospital to disseminate information about the injured patients. Many of the family members of the victims and curious onlookers gathered inside the hospital campus on Tuesday evening.

According to a senior official of the Health department, some more injured persons are undergoing treatment at Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital and a private hospital in Ekbalpore. The names of the injured persons in these hospitals are yet to be confirmed.

Dr Pradip Mitra, director of medical education (DME), said all the injured victims have been given immediate attention at SSKM Hospital.