How Karur Medical College Hospital rose to the occasion during stampede tragedy

In the aftermath of the stampede at Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and actor Vijay’s rally, which killed 41 people, Karur Government Medical College Hospital turned into the nerve centre of an unprecedented emergency response.

Inside the hospital, doctors, nurses and staff worked on a war footing. Nearly 85 doctors reported within hours of the incident, and about 90% of the hospital staff turned up without being summoned, officials said.

“Our own team was enough to manage, yet doctors from Madurai and Tiruchi also rushed in to lend support,” a senior official noted.

Government and private ambulances also worked in tandem. “That night was a nightmare. I made three trips within a few hours. Despite the chaos, the public cooperated with us and cleared the way,” recalled R. Velayutham, a private ambulance driver.

The mortuary became the busiest section of the hospital. Nearly 20 postgraduate students from nearby medical colleges, including Salem, Tiruchi and Namakkal, were drafted in with police clearance to carry out post-mortems. Working through the night, they completed examinations of the 39 bodies by Sunday afternoon.

The pressure was not just medical. “Handling non-medical persons who accompanied the patients was a challenge. Emotions were high, and crowd control inside the premises was difficult,” a senior medical officer said. “But with the help of the police and our staff, we managed,” he added.

Laboratory technicians, attendants and support staff worked alongside the doctors and the nurses to keep the operations running. The hospital, the officials said, had not faced such a test in years after COVID, but rose to the occasion, with teamwork being the key.