The Experience of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka in Management of Mass Casualties during major incidents Dr. Hector Weerasinghe Director – National Hospital of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka is an island in the Indian Ocean and is popularly known as the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean” Population – 19 million

Common Disasters in Sri Lanka Natural Floods Drought Landslides Man Made Terrorist instigated events eg. Bomb blasts Major accidents Civil unrest

National Hospital of Sri Lanka Profile Bed strength – 3,000 No. of wards – 72 No. of OR – 28 No of ICU – 15 No. of employees – 6,500

Damage caused in recent disasters No. of incidents - 35 No. injured in each incident – 200 – 1500 No. killed –

Emergency response plan of the National Hospital Disaster team, rapid response team, stockpiling of medical supplies Information – to reconfirm and obtain further information Activation of disaster plan Send ambulances and medical team to site - triage

Emergency response plan of the National Hospital – cont’d Prepare to receive casualties Strengthen security in and around hospital Alert different units of hospital Reception of casualties – triage Identification and registration of patients

Emergency response plan of the National Hospital – cont’d Information to public - relatives Information to press Identification and registration of patients Patients property

Emergency response plan of the National Hospital – cont’d Crowd control Hospital property Curfew Donations Psychological support Early action to replace disaster stock Post disaster review

Strengths Dedication of people involved Training Availability of resources Emergency planning

Weaknesses Lack of proper ambulance service Lack of facilities for rehabilitation Too many on-lookers