On the eve of India’s 79th Independence Day, while the rest of the nation prepared for celebrations, the emergency wing of Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu was fighting a different battle. Ambulance sirens pierced the night, carrying victims of the devastating cloudburst in Kishtwar’s Chasoti village. What followed was not just a medical response, but a rare display of courage, discipline, and compassion.
Within minutes, GMC’s emergency teams were mobilised. Doctors, nurses, porters, and technicians worked in seamless coordination. Critically injured patients were stabilised on ventilators, emergency surgeries were conducted through the night, and those with minor wounds received immediate care. By dawn, 66 lives had been saved, 25 major surgeries completed, and not a single patient required referral to another hospital. This was no ordinary feat — it was a testament to GMC Jammu’s preparedness, skill, and resilience.
What distinguished this effort was not merely the clinical excellence, but the human touch. Nurses fed injured children who had lost parents, bathed patients still covered in mud, and comforted the traumatised with words of reassurance. “We didn’t just treat wounds; we cared for human beings in deep distress,” one nurse recalled. Such empathy, in the middle of chaos, is what transformed a hospital ward into a sanctuary of healing.
Behind the scenes, the orchestration was remarkable. Departments from Orthopaedics to Neurosurgery worked in tandem, supported by blood bank teams, sanitation workers, and engineers who ensured uninterrupted power and logistics despite the downpour. It was a demonstration of how every cog in the wheel matters when lives are at stake.
Principal and Dean, Dr. Ashutosh Gupta, was right in calling his team the “real heroes.” Their performance drew praise not just from local residents but even from senior medical leaders at PGI Chandigarh, who commended GMC’s ability to handle mass casualties with professionalism and dignity.
This is not the first time GMC Jammu has risen to the occasion. From Operation Sindoor to highway tragedies, the institution has repeatedly proven itself a lifeline in moments of crisis. Yet, what unfolded on August 14-15 carries a deeper lesson: excellence in medicine is not only about saving lives, but about restoring humanity in the midst of tragedy.
As survivors begin the long road to recovery, the sleepless nights of GMC’s doctors and nurses stand as a shining reminder. In a time of grief, they offered not just treatment, but hope — and in doing so, upheld the true spirit of service.
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