With over two decades of experience at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH-32), Dr Ravneet Kaur has taken charge as the new Director-Principal of the institution. A senior faculty member from the Department of Blood Transfusion, Dr Kaur claims her immediate focus will be on strengthening trauma and emergency services, which are witnessing a sharp rise in patient numbers.

Having been associated with GMCH-32 for around 25 years, Dr Kaur says she has seen GMCH-32 evolve over the years and is familiar with its strengths and areas where there is scope for improvement. According to Dr Kaur, several colleagues and staff members have expressed confidence that her leadership will bring positive changes that will ultimately benefit patients.
“The increasing number of patients is not really in our ambit. But we can certainly work together to ensure better care and facilities with the available resources and staff support,” says Dr Kaur.

One of the first areas she plans to focus on is the trauma and emergency department, where patient numbers have been rising in recent months. “As we witnessed on Holi evening, when several emergency cases arrived at the same time. We all had to put our heads and hands together to manage the situation. I was in the hospital for many hours along with the team,” she said.
According to hospital officials, festive occasions and weekends often bring a spike in trauma cases, road accidents, and other medical emergencies. This places additional pressure on emergency services and requires coordinated efforts from doctors, nurses, and support staff.

Dr Kaur says that the experience highlighted the need to strengthen emergency preparedness and ensure that the hospital team can respond efficiently during peak hours. GMCH-32, one of the major government hospitals in the city, receives patients not only from Chandigarh but also from neighbouring areas of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. The steady inflow of patients often puts pressure on infrastructure and services. With 207 beds, the Emergency and Trauma Block at Government Medical College & Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, was inaugurated in August last year, and it is the largest in the region. In just over two months, the new block is witnessing almost a three times increase in patients from across the region, overburdening the healthcare staff and the facilities here. With more than 100 per cent occupancy, with around 300 patients daily, the system is facing a lot of pressure, and as per experts, till health services are improved on the periphery, and the system of referrals is executed, government hospitals in Chandigarh will face this unprecedented rush and no matter how many beds are increased, there will always be a need for trolleys, especially in the emergency and trauma departments of the hospitals.