The District Disaster Management Authority’s quick intervention with the support of five major hospitals in Kozhikode city played a crucial role in assuring quality medical care for the majority of those injured in the flight crash and thus lower the total death toll. To help the speedy hospitalisation of the injured, 23 ambulances from various parts of Kozhikode city were redirected to the accident spot on Friday night.
Apart from the arrangements made at the Government Medical College Hospital and the Government General Hospital in Kozhikode, three leading private hospitals in the heart of the city kept their casualty units and intensive care facilities ready for attending to the injured. The arrangements were made in compliance with the COVID-19 protocol and without affecting other safety measures.
Traffic control units and the local police rose to the occasion in clearing the highway for emergency vehicles. All the ambulances and private vehicles carrying the injured reached the city hospitals without any interruption. The local volunteer support was beyond the expectation of the police and the disaster management authorities.
Following the Kozhikode District Collector’s directive, Deputy Collectors and senior Revenue Department officers were posted in different hospitals to look into the emergency requirements and mobilise external support. Two control rooms, one exclusively for facilitating treatment needs, were opened in Kozhikode city.
Health Department officials said the preparedness shown by the hospitals and their voluntary efforts to ensure the presence of senior doctors in response to the DDMA’s call was impressive. A number of other small hospitals in Kozhikode and Malappram district also played their part well in the rescue mission, they added.
Though there were concerns about the unavailability of matching blood groups in some hospitals, all those were addressed on time with the assistance of various voluntary organisations. The Kozhikode District Collector’s appeal for donating blood was taken up by many social media groups, which in turn helped the hospitals to meet the requirements.
