The Health Department has put in place measures to cater to emergencies during New Year celebrations. Additional doctors and nurses will be on duty at all government hospitals, while 108 ambulances will be deployed at hotspots in and around the city.
Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar, in a press release, said the health and police departments had made elaborate arrangements.
All government medical college hospitals and government hospitals will have additional doctors, nurses and other staff members on duty to provide emergency care at midnight. Four major hospitals in the city — Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Government Royapettah Hospital, Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital and Government Stanley Medical College Hospital — and emergency care centres at Mamallapuram, Injambakkam, Tambaram, Padiyanallur and Sriperumbudur will have additional doctors and nurses on duty.
In Chennai, accident-prone areas in places that usually witness New Year celebrations were identified. Sixty-five 108 ambulances, 50 regular ambulances and 15 first-responder bikes will be deployed at these hotspots, that include main roads and junctions linking Labour statue, Kannagi statue, Gandhi statue, Santhome Road, Foreshore Estate, Marina Beach and Elliot’s Beach.
To ensure immediate and uninterrupted communication, the Department has made arrangements to provide wireless devices to 108 ambulances in Chennai. Additional staff will be posted at the emergency response centre of the 108 ambulance service.
