Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Coincidental Involvement in the Gujarat Earthquake, India (2001)

Abstract

Orthopaedic surgeons have traditionally answered the call in times of disaster. Shortly after the devastating earthquake in January 2001, in Gujarat India, that call came from a buffer zone hospital. The Gandhi Lincoln Hospital in Deesa, Gujarat was struggling with an influx of injured survivors. Five days after the initial event, 2 of the traveling American authors met up with the Director of Surgery at the hospital. The clinical load was primarily extremity injuries and wounds. The authors present their assessment of the orthopaedic response highlighting factors of success, barriers, and lessons learned. Despite their published accounts, many of these lessons were not applied to the Haiti earthquake response.