VIJAYAWADA: Final-year B.Sc Nursing students from AIIMS Mangalagiri visited the AP State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) office on Tuesday as part of a national capacity-building programme on “Hospital Preparedness during Health Emergencies.”

The initiative is being conducted under the guidance of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s Disaster Management Cell.

APSDMA Executive Director Venkat Deepak explained the critical role hospitals, doctors, and nurses play in reducing disaster risks.

He urged nursing students to register as disaster volunteers, stressing that their immediate response during major emergencies — including natural disasters and mass casualty events like COVID-19 — could help minimise loss of life.

The training covered hospital disaster preparedness plans, preventive measures, fire safety, emergency response strategies, and the importance of pre-positioned equipment.

Project managers Baswanth and Satish briefed the students on APSDMA’s emergency response mechanisms, while GIS expert Harish demonstrated hospital mapping, ambulance availability tracking, and decision-support systems using GIS technology.