Amid Holi surge, govt hospitals in U.P. treat over 200 road accident cases

Over 200 road accident cases – almost double the usual number – turned up on Holi in the emergency wards of government-run hospitals in Lucknow, including Balrampur Hospital, Lok Bandhu Raj Narayan Hospital and King George’s Medical University (KGMU), officials said.

According to KGMU records, on Holi, 135 RTA (road traffic accident) patients were brought into the emergency care ward, the medical university’s spokesperson Dr Sudhir Singh said.

“On a regular day, we get anywhere between 75 and 80 patients from road accidents,” he said. Several patients with minor eye injuries sustained while playing Holi also came in, with KGMU reporting 37 such patients.

The emergency ward at Balrampur Hospital saw 13 cases of RTA. Owing to an overflow in the Emergency Outpatient Department, 22 patients had to be referred to other government hospitals, as the footfall on Holi was 413 patients, on account of other OPDs being shut.

“Although we were prepared for the eventuality, this time we had no cases of eye injuries coming into the Emergency on Holi,” said Balrampur Hospital director Dr Sanjay Teotia.

At Lok Bandhu Raj Narayan Hospital, 63 patients turned up with road accident-related injuries.

“Both minor and major accidents combined, we had 63 such patients on Holi. Some were cases of drunk driving, others of minor collisions with dividers or two-wheelers, falling off a two-wheeler and sustaining injuries,” clarified Dr Rajeev Dixit, chief medical superintendent of LBRN Hospital.

He said four of these patients were admitted due to the severity of their conditions, and one was referred to KGMU for treatment.