For the first time, EMRI 104 reportedly received calls asking for details about administering first aid in case of injuries during this Deepavali.
According to officials manning the emergency response system, as many as 48 calls were received seeking instructions from doctors and paramedics to deal with burns in two days.
“Though the number looks small, this is not normal,” said B. Prabhudoss, head of marketing for EMRI 104 and 108.
Kilpauk Medical College’s burns ward, which works round the clock during the festival and allocates 10 beds to accommodate the injured, has six inpatients so far and has treated 21 persons as outpatients. Most of those injured had burns either on their faces or their hand. The injured were mostly children.
But, there was also a 17-year-old and a 30-year-old man, said Nirmala Ponnambalam, who heads the ward.
Last year, the hospital treated 72 persons, including inpatients.
Mr. Prabhudoss said it would require time to compile data as calls continued to be received for 108 ambulance services.
“The number of calls received during the weekend was high and on Monday it dropped slightly. But, we expect a rise in the number of calls tomorrow as people will be travelling,” he added.
At Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital’s Chennai unit alone, around 40 persons were treated for various kinds of injuries in the eye.
“In just two days we have seen more than 40 patients. The injuries occur when they light the cracker on the palm. Sometimes people lean over to examine if the cracker has lit up and it could burst on their face causing serious injury,” said its chairman Amar Agarwal.
In the last three days, Rajan Eye Hospital received around 25 patients of which at least three have serious injuries. “Usually we would see at least 50 cases around this time,” said Mohan Rajan, Chairman of the hospital.
