The Hindu Business Line : Braving through it all

They went beyond the call of duty, emerging stronger… and wiser. Saluting the brave doctors, paramedics and firemen who fought the recent terror attacks on Mumbai..

P.T. Jyothi Datta

There is no respite, even when they close their eyes. Haunting visions of the dead lying around seem to replay in the minds of the relief workers who, in the line of duty, were among the first to witness the raw carnage unleashed by terrorist gunmen on Mumbai.

Stark images of the dead and shock at the brutal manner in which they were mowed down are just some of the anguished feelings expressed by the traumatised staff of Mumbai’s 1298 ambulance services at a de-brief session following the terror-siege of nearly 60 hours.

It is a different kind of anguish and anger felt by some of the staff at 1252 Topsline, after having removed children who fell to the gunmen’s bullets or the fires caused by their grenades and bombs.

Topsline, another private ambulance service, had reached the terror-struck venues within minutes of the initial firing on the night of November 26.Though trained to work in “life and death” situations, to carry out the sick, injured and dying — the ambulance staff, helpers and drivers now carry in their hearts a sense of satisfaction tinged with sadness.

Satisfaction on a job well done, and sadness at witnessing one of the worst tragedies and hostage situations ever faced by the country.

But the terror attacks that started with the firings at Leopold Café, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (popular as Victoria Terminus) and Cama Hospital, and ended with the dramatic siege of The Trident-Oberoi, the Taj Mahal Hotel and Nariman House have changed the mindscape of Mumbai.

And like the city, its disaster management agencies — the hospitals, ambulance and fire-fighting services are now picking up the pieces, to review and adapt to the challenges of a changing face of terror.

Ground reality

The first calls to the 1298 control-room were from bystanders near Leopold and the Taj, and the ambulance reached within nine minutes, says Shaffi Mather, a top executive with the service.

Soon they were coordinating with the city’s Disaster Management Cell (DMC), under the municipal authority. The DMC (accessed by dialling 108) then directed ambulance services to JJ Hospital, St George’s and Bombay Hospital, says Shweta Mangal, 1298’s Chief Executive.

The ambulance staff found itself in the thick of the firing as it entered the Taj after the first round of firing and remained stuck there, as the firing and grenade attacks continued, recounts Mather. He, however, adds that the on-site instructions given by the police and commando forces helped them work with greater clarity.

The interactions between the control room and 1298’s ambulances are on record, which the management will now sift through to help streamline operations.

Of its 51 ambulances, about 18 were at the terror-hit locations, and staff worked in shifts round the clock.

In the wake of the attacks, Mather says the service will review the number of ambulances deployed at night, the consequences of staff entry into a site under siege, and food arrangements for the ambulance staff.

Wajid Ansari, a senior representative with Topsgrup, said Topsline’s ambulance was the first to arrive at Leopold, in six minutes flat. Over the next three days, 16 dedicated ambulances with staff and back-up teams worked to rescue people, he said.

The Topsline team too found itself in the line of fire. And its staff helped bring out the bodies of the wife and two children of the Taj’s general manager, Karambir Kang, and the slain commando Sandeep Unnikrishnan.

The team worked on its own initiative, Ansari said, adding that the Government needs to do much more to get private players on board, to work as one team and put the city first during a crisis like this.

Also among the first to attend to the injured brought in from the terror-struck sites was Dr Aashish Contractor of the Asian Heart Institute; he had got into the 1298 ambulance at Leopold after hearing the firing and seeing a body on the road.

The magnitude of the terror attack became evident only as more injured and dying people were brought into the designated hospitals, he recalls.

But at no time was fear palpable among the medical staff, even as Cama Hospital in the neighbourhood was under siege from the gunmen for three nightmarish hours. “Everyone was working on auto-pilot,” he says, as groups of the “dead, dying, and just hurt” were brought in from CST and Leopold initially.

JJ Hospital’s Superintendent Dr H.H. Jadhav, who was watching India win the cricket match, rushed to the hospital on hearing about the firing.

The hospital was prepared to handle the sudden influx of patients and medicines were not a concern, as the hospital always keeps three months’ supplies in ready stock, he added.

Falling short

But reflecting on the three terror-filled days, many people feel that despite the best efforts there were several gaps and these need to be plugged by the DMC. For instance, the designated hospitals at times refused to admit the injured if the ambulances were unaccompanied by a policeman. The police was short-staffed, and there were times the ambulance staff had to argue with hospital representatives to get the injured admitted, a doctor said. There is need for improved integration between hospitals and ambulance services, he added.

The ambulance staff has a good word for Bombay Hospital, where a night in-charge helped clear space and prepare for the seamless acceptance of injured survivors, as the enormity of the tragedy became apparent.

Doctors also say the system of triage needs to be practised whereby the patient most vulnerable is identified and tended to first. A silent, but shaken person may have internal bleeding and needs immediate medical treatment ahead of another who may be bleeding profusely, one doctor explained. Also, many more public and private hospitals must be roped in for the disaster management network, he added.

Technology aids

Striking a positive note, the DMC’s S.S. Shinde says the crisis management systems worked better this time than ever before. However, he does concede the need for improved coordination between the different agencies. With mobile phones losing connectivity during critical moments, he says they want to upgrade the technology and bring in Tetra (terrestrial trunked radio) mobile telephone technology to improve “the time and quality of response” during a crisis.

The Mumbai Fire Brigade rescued 600 people “without injury”, but its Chief Fire Officer Anil Sawant believes there is much to be learnt. “This is the first time we handled a fire even as we were being fired upon,” he explained. His staff of 300 worked for three days continuously, he said, with food and water provided by bystanders.

They were on their rescue missions sans bullet-proof jackets or with borrowed ones even as bullets rained around them and grenades exploded close to the fire engines. And though there has been appreciation coming their way, including some from overseas, Sawant says the force is set to acquire bullet-proof jackets, as the recent terror attacks are just a sign of the times to come.

Related Stories:
Terror Engulfs Mumbai
Mumbai terror: Day 2

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