Patna: Patna will witness extra safety steps this year as Dussehra, also known as Ravana Vadh, falls on Gandhi Jayanti on October 2. The city is preparing for very large crowds at Gandhi Maidan, where the burning of Ravana’s effigy is the main attraction. To manage any medical emergencies, the health department has announced that OPD services in all big hospitals will remain closed on that day, while emergency services will stay open round the clock.
Four temporary hospitals have been set up at important points near Gandhi Maidan – Kargil Chowk, Gyan Bhawan, Gate 10, and Gate 5. Each unit will have one bed and will be supplied with oxygen cylinders, stretchers, trolleys, and life-saving medicines. Civil Surgeon Dr Avinash Kumar Singh said these centres will act as first-aid posts to give quick help if anyone is injured or falls sick during the event.
All government hospitals, including PMCH, IGIMS, NMCH, Patna AIIMS, New Gardiner Road Hospital, and LNJP Hospital, have been told to be fully prepared. Doctors, nurses, ambulances, and medicines are being kept ready for use at short notice. Private hospitals have also been asked to make sure their staff and facilities are on standby. The aim, officials said, is to ensure that no patient faces difficulty in getting treatment during the festivals.
IGIMS Medical Superintendent Dr Manish Mandal confirmed that OPDs will run normally on Navami, but they will remain closed on Dussehra because it coincides with Gandhi Jayanti. He added that emergency wards will work without interruption and patients who need admission will not face any problem. Hospital control rooms will stay open all through the festival days, and people can call the special helpline numbers for help. If regular ambulance services on 102 or 112 are not available, residents can call the Civil Surgeon directly for emergency support.
Emergency helpline numbers:
• PMCH Control Room: 0612-2300080
• PMCH Superintendent: 9470003549
• Civil Surgeon: 9470003600
• New Gardiner Road Hospital: 9470003587
• Patna AIIMS: 9470702184, 06122451070
• IGIMS: 9473191807, 06122297099
• PMCH Principal: 9470003552
• LNJP Hospital, Rajvanshi Nagar: 9431022000
