Apollo Hospitals takes to social media

State govt drawing up plan to prevent healthcare crisis with medical camps

Apollo Hospitals in Chennai is using social media to assist and advice patients stranded at homes due to the deluge while the Tamil Nadu government is drawing up plan to prevent healthcare crisis with medical camps across the state.

Hospitals and clinics in the city bore the brunt of deluge with inundation in the premises. Patients had to be evacuated from Global hospitals in Perumbakkam area as water level rose in the hospital premises. Patients were shifted to adjoining hospitals in the area.

"All our hospitals and pharmacies are functional. We have started a helpline service and have been posting information on social media. Many pregnant women in Chennai posted on social media and we are trying to reach out to them. From Hyderabad our hospital gynecologists have spoken to two of them and guided them to nearby hospitals. We are trying to reach others. Patients from other hospitals which are severely water logged are reaching out to us and we are making available more beds to accommodate them," said Sangita Reddy, joint managing director Apollo Hospital group in an email response.

The hospital group is also offering free ambulance service to patients. State government is taking preventive steps co-ordinating with hospitals and ensuring that adequate medical stock is available.

"We will be conducting around 1112 medical camps across the State now. Chennai will have 200 camps and Kancheepuram will see over 100 camps," said J Radhakrishnan, secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department of Tamil Nadu government.

The department also has stocked medicines for 3.5 months and this would be adequate to address the situation, he added. With the second phase of rains hitting the State, the severity of flood is high. With most part of the city experiencing water logging for almost a month now, the State government is preparing itself to prevent a serious healthcare crisis. Precautionary measures including preventive medical camps and adequate medicine stocks has been ensured by the government, says a senior official from the state.

J Radhakrishnan, secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department of the State of Tamil Nadu, who was in the middle of a rescue mission in the IT hub of Sholinganallur, Chennai, told Business Standard that the flood is currently started making an impact on the people in the State and the government is prepared to address the health related issues.

All the hospitals has been alerted and equipped to take care of the patients and people who are rescued from the flooded areas. However, one or two hospitals had to be evacuated since they were also inundated.

Apart from this, the government is also conducting medical screening camps across the State and offers healthcare measures along with the relief measures, both static and mobile services.

"We will be conducting around 1112 medical camps across the State now. Chennai will have 200 camps and Kancheepuram will see over 100 camps," he added. With the second phase of rains hitting the State, the severity of flood is high, he said.

Waterborne diseases, contagious diseases such as various types of fever and skin disease are the ones expected mainly as an impact of the flood. The health department is also spreading awareness on the imporance of boiling water for drinking and taking preventive steps to avoid fever and skin diseases, he added.

The department also has stocked medicines for 3.5 months and this would be adequate to address the situation, he added.