Mumbai 26/11 terror attack anniversary: Hospitals emerge stronger with upgraded security and emergency care

After the 2611 terror attacks in 2008 GT Hospital and Cama Hospital mdash both directly impacted on that night mdash say the tragedy permanently reshaped their medical and security systemsGT HospitalDr Jitendra Sankpal who was an associate professor during the attacks and is now professor and head of surgery with additional charge of medical superintendent said the hospitalrsquos sense of security was shattered by what unfolded that nightGT Hospital PicSayyed Sameer AbedildquoThere is no word in the dictionary to describe what we went through But we have only learnt from it That attack was an eyeopener with respect to the level of security the hospital needs considering that it is located in such a sensitive location Till before the attack we thought our hospital was located in one of the most secure areas owing to the highprofile offices located here and the fact that the overall security of the area is goodrdquo Dr Sankpal saidOfficials said that in 2008 GT Hospital did not even have an independent emergency ward Since then several major upgrades have been implementedKey changes includegtgt A dedicated modular casualty wardgtgt A fully operational emergency wardgtgt A roundtheclock trauma care systemgtgt A recent sanction of R5 crore to upgrade emergency and casualty infrastructureSecurity preparedness has been overhauled as wellDr Jitendra Deshmukh dean of GT Hospital said ldquoThe hospital now has a comprehensive disaster management plan with staff trained specifically to handle highpressure highrisk and masscasualty scenarios training that was largely absent before 2008 The Maharashtra State Force plays a key role in ensuring roundtheclock protection At present 56 MSF commandos are deployed across the premises including four armed personnel stationed at critical points such as the main entrance casualty and emergency wards The hospital has also sought approval for an additional 15 commandos to strengthen the forcerdquoVehicle entry is logged manually CCTV cameras were installed only after the attack and the hospital has now applied for metal detectors ldquoWe are doing every bit possiblerdquo Dr Sankpal addedCama HospitalCama Hospital which terrorists had entered during the attack has also undergone major structural and security changes Medical superintendent Dr Tushar Palave said access control is now a top priorityCama Hospital File picldquoThe most important change that we brought in was that of the four gates anyone now has access only through two gates Of these two functioning gates only one is open for vehicles where each vehicle that enters gets checked and the number of the vehicle is entered into a register The second operating gate is not even opened completely but just the smaller part of the gate is opened for those who walk inrdquo he saidHe added ldquoAlso only those vehicles which have a stamp of our hospital are allowed to enter the premises while no twowheelers are allowedrdquo Cama Hospital today has 54 MSF commandos 110 CCTV cameras and mandatory selfdefence training for all staffldquoBack then the security guards who lost their lives in the attack werenrsquot trained to handle such situations The MSF who is now appointed have undergone defence training which is a must to handle such situationsrdquoDr Palave saidlsquoTreating Kasab was frustratingrsquoDr Sankpal recalled being on the team instructed to ensure Ajmal Kasab stayed medically stable throughout the trial ldquoHe would do silly things such as bite the cap of a water bottle and injure himself on the hands and chest He would hit his head on the iron rods of the jail It was frustrating to treat himrdquo