Hospitals told to paint 'red cross' on rooftops

How hospitals will step up preps The govt has issued safety and disaster preparedness measures for its 38 hospitals

- Ridhima Gupta

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Friday directed its hospitals to implement emergency preparedness measures, including prominently marking their rooftops with the Red Cross symbol, increasing medicine stocks, ensuring backup power systems are operational, and clearing basements to serve as makeshift shelters amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.

The directions were issued by the health department in an official order on Friday, accessed by HT, instructing all 38 Delhi government-run hospitals to urgently carry out a set of precautionary actions.

Among the most visible of these measures is the requirement to paint the roofs of all hospitals with the Red Cross emblem, a move aimed at protecting health care facilities during potential aerial attacks by identifying them as protected sites under international humanitarian law.

Hospitals have been asked to give updates on the progress of the painting work, officials said.