Govt plans medical camps, hospital chain takes to social media to assist patients in Chennai

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 Sangeeta 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.