New Delhi, Sept 5 (UNI) As Punjab grapples with one of its worst flood situations, AIIMS New Delhi has stepped forward to assist the affected regions by deploying a specialised medical team to provide crucial relief and healthcare support.
Rescue and relief operations by the Indian Army, Air Force, BSF, NDRF and NGOs are already on a war footing. Now, joining the aid will be the multidisciplinary team comprising 11 doctors and an equal number of experienced nursing officers from the Chief Nursing Officer’s Office of the country’s premier health research institution.
The AIIMS doctors bring expertise from diverse fields, including medicine, psychiatry, paediatrics, community medicine, surgical disciplines, radiodiagnosis, and laboratory medicine. This comprehensive expertise is aimed at addressing a wide range of health issues faced by flood survivors.
Dr. Amrinder Singh, Assistant Professor in the Radiology Department at AIIMS Delhi, said the team will work on the ground, delivering essential healthcare services, distributing medicines, and providing critical support to those affected by the floods.
He said that the aim is to ensure timely medical assistance reaches to vulnerable populations, which face a severe threat of water-borne diseases like cholera.
With the flood waters causing widespread displacement and creating health risks, the presence of this expert medical team offers much-needed hope and reassurance to the flood-affected communities, said a senior doctor at the AIIMS, Delhi.
Punjab flood situations have been triggered by relentless rainfall, swelling water levels in the Beas, Satluj, Ravi, and Ghaggar rivers, and the controlled release of excess water from the Bhakhra, Pong, and Ranjit Sagar dams.
The border state is on high alert as floodwaters continue to wreak havoc across all 23 districts. Over 1,650 villages have been affected, with more than 1.75 lakh acres of farmland submerged, resulting in extensive damage to paddy and other crops.
The situation has severely impacted the agrarian economy and displaced thousands of residents, intensifying the challenges faced by the state’s administration and relief agencies.
