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Open fields converted to hospitals

Last Updated 27 April 2015, 20:09 IST

As aftershocks continued to hit Nepal, doctors have turned open fields into hospitals with injured quake victims fearful of entering hospital buildings in many tragedy areas.

Doctors have been pitching ordinary tents to treat wailing patients even as many of those injured were afraid of being inside hospital buildings fearing they may collapse anytime, according to Murali, a resident of Byatarayanapura, Bengaluru.

Murali, who returned to Delhi on an Indian Air Force flight on Monday, told Deccan Herald tragic tales. He said “In most of the places, doctors were seen treating patients in open fields inside tents. Though there were some hospitals, they were overcrowded.”

Because of frequent tremors, the government has advised the hospital authorities to treat patients on the streets and asked the public not to enter any buildings, he said. 

“As patients are being treated outside despite the shivering cold, dead bodies are being kept in hospital rooms. We are  told that dead bodies have piled up in hospital rooms. As there is no proper electricity, doctors are not in a position to treat patients in hospital in many places", said Ramanathan, another survivor and a resident of Koramangala. “It is total chaos. The government and hospitals in Nepal are not equipped to handle such a big tragedy. Even at the airport, it was a more than 2 to 3 km long queue as tourists are rushing to catch flights,” recounted Balaji from BTM Layout. 

Doctors are giving top priority to treating those most critically injured as hospitals struggled to handle overwhelming numbers of injured, he added.

A few shops, which had opened, were running out of commodities. There is a huge demand for medicines, said Ravi Prakash, from Jayanagar. 

“Nobody is ready to take a risk entering any building. We spent the whole day and night on the streets, said Jagadamba, a resident of Vayalikaval. Recalling the quake, she said: “It was very scary situation. Even after landing in Delhi we feel as if the earth is shaking.”

With no proper sanitation and lack of water, the Kathmandu streets are crowded with people and the crowded places and grounds had started stinking, she said.

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(Published 27 April 2015, 20:09 IST)

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