In response to directives from the Delhi Health Department, Lok Nayak Hospital conducted mock drills on Saturday to ensure emergency preparedness amid the tensions between India and Pakistan. Despite the announcement of a ceasefire between the two nations effective from 1700 hours on Saturday, the Delhi Chief Minister’s Office directed the different departments of the government, including the health department, to remain on alert mode.

The drills focused on four key departments—surgery, orthopaedics, plastic surgery, and anaesthesiology—to test their readiness for managing mass casualties in Delhi hospitals. Staff were also trained to swiftly assess and identify critical patients and to prepare operating theatres without delay.

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“These drills aren’t new—they’re part of disaster management protocols that every hospital follows in cases of fire, building collapse, or major events held in the capital,” said Dr Aviral Mathur, former senior resident at Delhi’s Lok Nayak Hospital. “I remember similar drills being conducted ahead of the Independence Day celebrations and G-20 Summit,” he added.

Mathur told The Statesman that, as part of disaster management plans, hospitals are also advised to include an operative care strategy that prioritises critical surgeries over elective ones—procedures that are scheduled in advance but not urgent. Postponing elective surgeries helps keep beds available for more serious cases. Hospitals have been asked to check and replenish stocks of essential medicines, supplies, and equipment, including oxygen cylinders and defibrillators, which are used to revive patients during cardiac arrest. “The idea is to strengthen the system and address any gaps while being mindful not to overstock and create artificial shortages,” Mathur said.

Similar advisories were issued for all the private hospitals and nursing homes in the city, according to the official order released on Friday by the Director General of Health Services (Nursing Home Cell). “In the present scenario, all hospitals are required to keep a ready list of ICU beds, operational ventilators, oxygen supply status, and contact numbers of all surgeons, anaesthetists, orthopaedicians, and burn specialists,” the order stated. The order also directed hospitals to paint red cross symbols on their rooftops—a protective measure under UN humanitarian law to safeguard medical facilities from air strikes in conflict zones.

Mathur added that these symbols also aid in the quick identification of healthcare facilities during rescue operations, enabling faster assistance for patients. Earlier on Friday, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also issued an urgent directive, suspending all forms of leave for its officers, citing an unspecified “impending situation.”

“My mother-in-law, a senior dentist at Maulana Azad Medical College, had to cancel her long-planned trip to the US in the early hours of the previous night due to these government orders, resulting in significant financial loss. But in uncertain times like these, one can’t complain,” Mathur said, adding, “Many in the medical community have accepted the orders willingly, without any fuss.”