Team siliconindia

• Fortis Hospital Kalyan launched ‘Code-QRT’, a 15-day clinician-led training program to upskill first-line practitioners in emergency care and diagnosis.
• The program aims to improve early intervention by equipping local doctors with vital skills in ECG, imaging, blood work interpretation, and patient resuscitation.
• With over 90 registrations and 75 active participants in the pilot batch, Code-QRT focuses on the Kalyan-Dombivli region and plans to expand across Mumbai and beyond.

In a major step toward strengthening grassroots-level healthcare, Fortis Hospital Kalyan has launched a clinician-led Quick Response Training (QRT) program, titled Code-QRT. Rolled out on National Doctors’ Day, July 1, 2025, the 15-day training initiative is designed to equip first-line practitioners with critical diagnostic and clinical assessment skills, enabling them to deliver effective emergency care from the very first point of contact.

The program is being led by a team of senior clinicians from Fortis Hospitals including Dr Jumana Haji, Program Director – ECMO, Fortis Hospitals Mumbai and Program Convener; Dr Manjeet Singh, First Aid, BLS & CPR Trainer, Fortis Hospitals Mumbai; Dr Sudhir Gore, Head of Emergency Medicine; and Dr Manoj Kumar, Consultant-Emergency Medicine, Fortis Hospital Kalyan. The training aims to bridge critical knowledge gaps among frontline caregivers across the Kalyan-Dombivli region and surrounding areas.

“Many patients from Kalyan and Dombivli are often transferred to tertiary centers in Mumbai when their condition has already worsened”, said Dr Jumana Haji. “This often results from limited diagnostic capacity at the initial point of care. With Code-QRT, we aim to empower community-level practitioners to recognize red flags early and take timely action this can save lives”.

The initiative reflects Fortis Kalyan’s unwavering commitment to community-centric healthcare and capacity building. The Code-QRT program blends theoretical sessions with immersive hands-on learning, covering key topics such as history taking and physical examination, emergency imaging, ECG interpretation, patient resuscitation, lab investigations, and communication during critical scenarios. The sessions also focus on decision-making tools to help practitioners decide when to escalate care.

The pilot batch is focused on the Kalyan-Dombivli region, an area with a significant patient base that often seeks initial care from clinics, dispensaries, and smaller healthcare units. The response has been overwhelming, with over 90 registrations, and around 75 practitioners expected to complete the first cohort.

Speaking at the launch event, Hon. Abhinav Goel, Municipal Commissioner of Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), remarked, “Programs like Code-QRT are more than training they’re about building trust and strong healthcare networks. This initiative provides frontline practitioners the tools and confidence they need to deliver timely care during those critical first minutes. It represents a meaningful collaboration between hospitals and communities”.

The program was conceptualized by Dr Ashutosh Pandey, Facility Director, Fortis Hospital Kalyan. He emphasized the importance of empowering those at the grassroots. “Healthcare begins in the community. Often, a patient’s first interaction is with a local practitioner, and those early decisions matter immensely. With Code-QRT, we’re investing in those vital first responders to ensure quality care starts at the very beginning of the healthcare journey”.

Dr Manjeet Singh and Dr Sudhir Gore, both deeply involved in the training content, highlighted the practical orientation of the sessions, aimed at ensuring readiness in high-pressure situations such as trauma, cardiac emergencies, and sepsis.

Code-QRT is already being hailed as a pioneering initiative, with plans underway to replicate the model across other regions in Mumbai, and eventually across India. By aligning tertiary care expertise with community-level action, Fortis Hospital is creating a more connected, responsive, and life-saving healthcare ecosystem.

With Code-QRT, Fortis Kalyan is not just launching a training program it is sowing the seeds for a future where every patient, regardless of where they live, has access to timely, effective, and lifesaving care.