Pokhara, 9 September | The Trauma Center in Kathmandu resembled a war zone, filled with young Gen-Z individuals who had been shot during the protests in New Baneshwor. Starting from 1:45 PM on September 9, a continuous stream of injured protesters began arriving at the center, overwhelming the emergency room to the extent that patients had to be treated on the floor. According to Dr. Santosh Paudel, a doctor at the Trauma Center, they received a call from Civil Hospital stating that it was overcrowded with over 100 injured patients, who were subsequently referred to the Trauma Center.
To manage the overwhelming influx of patients, doctors from the Outpatient Department (OPD) were moved to the emergency ward, and a team of specialist doctors from Bir Hospital was also deployed. More than 50 doctors worked tirelessly throughout the day to treat the injured. According to Dr. Rajiv Jha, a specialist in neurosurgery and spinal cord diseases, despite performing CPR, they were unable to save four of the individuals who arrived with bullet wounds. Dr. Jha expressed his emotional distress upon seeing the injured with their school uniforms and bags, stating that while he had worked during many disasters, today’s event moved him to tears.
Surgeries to remove bullets from the bodies of the injured are still ongoing. Dr. Jha noted that some patients had bullets lodged in their heads, chests, and hearts. While most were hit by rubber bullets, doctors suspect that some of the patients who arrived later may have been shot with live ammunition. Dr. Paudel mentioned that the neuro team is actively working to extract the bullets. The sudden rush of patients also caused a blood shortage at the hospital within an hour and a half, forcing healthcare workers to donate their own blood to save lives.
Some of the injured on the hospital beds claimed they were spontaneous participants in the movement and had even entered the parliament premises, while others stated they were shot while simply walking. When an Onlinkhabar team visited the Trauma Center at 8 PM, a list of the deceased and injured was posted outside the gate. Heavily armed police were stationed there, and relatives were gathered, seeking information. When protesters began chanting slogans, police even resorted to a baton charge at the hospital gate. The Gen-Z protests against the social media ban and corruption that began on Monday have tragically resulted in 19 deaths across the country.
