Introduction: Nepal, prone to significant seismic events, experienced a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake on April 25, 2015, resulting in substantial loss of life and injury. Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) in Kathmandu, as a central emergency facility, played a critical role in managing disaster casualties. This study assesses the effectiveness of TUTH’s emergency triage and treatment response for the 510 earthquake victims admitted on April 25. Methods: To assess the effectiveness of emergency triage and treatment at TUTH during the April 25, 2015, earthquake disaster and identify key healthcare challenges recorded from this disaster. The Department of Emergency and General Practice led the triage efforts, utilizing the Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (START) protocol to classify patients: “Red” for critical, “Yellow” for delayed, “Green” for walking wounded, and “Black” for deceased. Triage times averaged less than 60 seconds per patient, and critical cases received immediate care from dedicated medical teams. The study also reviews healthcare challenges experienced in rural settings Results: The review of work at TUTH showed that GP-led support worked well. Of the 510 initial victims, 38 were triaged as “Red,” 136 as “Yellow,” 336 as “Green,” and 71 were deceased. Over the subsequent 17 days, 1,457 earthquake victims were treated, including 205 critical “Red” cases. Surgeons performed 143 major operations, including 101 orthopaedic surgeries, 22 neurosurgeries, and 18 general surgeries. Conclusion: Despite TUTH’s effective response, post-disaster analyses highlighted broader healthcare challenges in the response and recovery phase across affected regions. The healthcare access was significantly affected, causing major gaps in services due to widespread damage to health facilities, a lack of medical supplies, and difficulties reaching affected areas, leading to increased risks of infectious diseases. Many affected populations faced challenges accessing basic medical care, with the most vulnerable, like children and pregnant women, experiencing severe consequences.
Yogendra Man Shakya (Sun,) studied this question.