Disaster drill at a university hospital

The course of a disaster drill held on 23 October 2001 at Aga Khan University, Karachi is reported. The Hospital Emergency Plan was put to trial on that day. Volunteers were invited to become simulated casualties in the drill. Briefing seminars had been conducted with the key players of the hospital. The scenario was a man-made type disaster. A 747 jumbo jet with 200 passengers had crashed at the end of the runway at Quaid-e-Azam International Airport while taking off in a thunderstorm. Fifty casualties were sent to Emergency Room by ambulance. The Plan was activated and relevant units were mobilized according to the Plan. It took 2 hours to complete the disaster drill. Major difficulties were identified in the operations, communications, staff deployment, and emergency control center. Debriefing sessions reviewed difficulties encountered throughout the drill and the possible remedies.