A lot has been said and done to prevent the spread of Swine Flu all over the world.

Preventive measures are essential, have been recommended and have been put into action across all strata of society, some of them compulsory, some on individual initiative.

There, however, remains a possibility, that in spite of the most detailed preventive measures thought of and acted upon, someone does get infected by Swine Flu.

It would be pertinent to plan for such an eventuality, especially at places where people are gathering frequently and regularly. These essentially would be schools, colleges, work places, marriage halls, theatres,shopping malls etc.

The method to go about in putting such contingency plans in place would be similar to some organisations practicing the occasional ‘fire drill’! This drill generally encompasses the following key actions:

1. Define emergency exits
2. Install smoke detectors, alarms and fire extinguishers
3. Large organisations have their own fire engines
4. Practice drills and check time to exit premises, etc
5. Ensure all employees are covered by accident, medical and life insurance

Similarly, a ‘Medical Drill’ would help save lives and reduce liabilities too. The key steps and key facts that would be essential in a ‘medical drill’ would be:

1. Carry out a ‘Know Your Employee / Student’ exercise
   1. How does he commute to office or school? Who does he share the transport with?
   2. Where does he sit in the office / school? Who are the people in close proximity of his seating place?
   3. Is he part of a sub work group which meets for specific projects? Who are the members? Where do they meet?
   4. Does he have a lunch group? Who are the other members?
   5. Is he part of a hobby club outside work / school?
2. Is your attendance system capable of monitoring possible correlations in absenteeism based on the above data? If yes, it could help you spot possible infection outbreaks well in time.
3. In case someone does get infected, identifying others who need to be quarantined or at least checked, becomes a much easier task.
4. Emergency services data:
   1. In case someone seems to be infected, or is not well, is there a process which automatically ensures which hospital he will be taken to – in a suitable transport? Or a doctor who will attend within the minimum possible time?
   2. Is there a ‘medical room’ where the patient can be quarantined and looked after till such time expert medical help arrives?
   3. Is there a department or an official who has the clear responsibility to ensure that the process is followed?
   4. Is there a certified process manual (as is there for the Fire Drill under ISO requirements) which covers medical emergencies and Swine Flu like Pandemics?

It would be a practical and timely step to be prepared in advance to face any contingency that may occur in spite of normal preventive measures practiced for Swine Flu. The above key areas need to be addressed and information needs to be correctly and completely kept available in order to ‘BE PREPARED‘ to face Swine Flu!