After reopening of Tasmac shops, government hospitals in Chennai see spike in trauma cases – Times of India

CHENNAI: Ever since Tasmac liquor outlets were reopened, government hospitals in Chennai have recorded a surge in the number of cases reported at trauma ward and majority of those admitted were in an inebriated state during admission.
For instance at Stanley Medical College Hospital, around 30 surgery cases were reported everyday at the Tamil Nadu Accident and Emergency Care (TAEI) ward. But on Tuesday, more than 200 surgery cases were reported and almost 70% were intoxicated.
“Majority were road accidents followed by head injuries due to fall and stab wounds. There were cases of poisoning too as some of these drunk men drank phenyl floor cleaners thinking it was water,” said a doctor from Stanley TAEI ward.
Women, who were victims of domestic violence, too were admitted. This was because of the aggressive and violent behaviour exhibited by their husbands after drinking, he added.
Swadi Prabhakaran, another city doctor, had tweeted about plight of a woman, who was worried about her daughters’ future, after her husband fell down from a stairs and suffered from brain haemorrhage.
Similar trend was witnessed at other major city hospitals too. Corroborating this, Greater Chennai Traffic Police (GCTP) data suggests that drunk driving deaths have almost doubled in the city.
For instance, a dozen motorists, who died in road accidents in Chennai, were found drunk. Until last week, it was less than 5 or 6 a day. As a result, GCTP have intensified vehicle checks, which remained lull in the total lockdown phase.
Usual checkpoints, which were temporarily closed, were reopened and a total of 30 motorists were booked for drunk driving on Monday. The traffic police are strategizing on where to set up more checkpoints in order to avoid gathering of motorists, procedure on confiscation and detaining of vehicles etc.
“However, we have advised cops not to get too close to motorists while using breathalysers to check the blood alcohol content,” said a senior GCTP official.
Currently, the police are drafting a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to ensure physical distancing and other Covid-19 safety guidelines to be followed during such checks. Models adopted by neighbouring states were studied in this regard, he added.