Sixty minutes into a heart attack, the chances of a full recovery are 90 per cent; take that up to three hours, and the odds fall to some 30-40 per cent. Often what goes on within the walls of a hospital is an enigma, and Emergency Room , a new series on National Geographic seeks to unpack some of this enigma.
Shot inside the Medanta Hospital, the series showcases stories of doctors and hospital staff, racing against time and facing intimidating life or death situations.
The show has been anchored by Irrfan Khan, whose motive was to create much needed awareness about emergency situations. Speaking at the press conference, he revealed being initially apprehensive about putting up cameras as it could affect the doctors on duty. All his fears were eventually dismissed, as having cameras around provided an opportunity to analyse and consequently improve doctors’ efficiency.
Commenting upon the subject, Dr. Naresh Trehan, chairman and managing director, Medanta, said, “The staff was oblivious to the 32 cameras stationed around them, and this goes on to show how proper training can prevent doctors, and all biomedical personnel from any distractions around whatsoever.”
Conducting workshops, on-air films and utilizing the online media prior to the launch of the show, National Geographic actively worked towards sensitizing people towards the topic. Debarpita Banerjee, vice president, marketing, National Geographic and Fox International Channels, said, “We might not be sure about the majority of public tuning in, what we can however assure is if they do, they will gain a lot in terms of information very useful during emergency situations.”
Also sharing the stage with the three was Anil Shukla, Addl. Commissioner of Police, Traffic Police, Delhi, who shed light on the staggering number of patients, as many as 35,000, annually transported by Police PCRs. He also stated the sad fact of rampant indifference among bystanders in terms of getting involved and assisting victims of serious injury on roads.
Hopefully, this series will be the beginning of a waking up process.
