New Delhi, May 11 -- The Delhi government on Friday directed its hospitals to implement emergency preparedness measures, including prominently marking their rooftops with the Red Cross symbol, increasing medicine stocks, ensuring backup power systems are operational, and clearing basements to serve as makeshift shelters amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. The directions were issued by the health department in an official order on Friday, accessed by HT , instructing all 38 Delhi government-run hospitals to urgently carry out a set of precautionary actions. Among the most visible of these measures is the requirement to paint the roofs of all hospitals with the Red Cross emblem, a move aimed at protecting health care facilities during potential aerial attacks by identifying them as protected sites under international humanitarian law. Hospitals have been asked to give updates on the progress of the painting work, officials said. Around 25 of the hospitals, -including Lok Nayak, Deen Dayal Upadhyay, GTB, and Indira Gandhi Hospital - confirmed by Friday evening that they had begun painting their rooftops, while some informed authorities they had requested the Public Works Department (PWD) to undertake the task. The department also asked hospitals to submit updated inventories of essential medicines, verify the functionality of their generators, and finalise a Hospital Disaster Management Plan. Each hospital has been directed to conduct a mock drill by Saturday, March 10, to test readiness. Some, like Lok Nayak and GTB, began staff briefings on Friday in preparation. "Lok Nayak is conducting mock drill training for our hospital along with GB Pant and Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC)," said Dr Ritu Saxena, chief medical officer at Lok Nayak and disaster management expert. All hospitals have been issued detailed Hospital Safety & Disaster Preparedness guidelines authored by Dr Saxena. These guidelines advise citizens to familiarise themselves with air raid sirens - long wails indicate an alert, while short bursts mean all-clear - and identify shelter areas such as basements and underground car parks. During drills or actual alerts, all outdoor activity must stop immediately, and people should calmly move to designated shelters. Hospitals have been specifically asked to adopt a "Contingency Planning" strategy to utilise cleared-out basements for shelter and evacuation purposes. "Hospitals must be clearly marked with the Red Cross, Red Crescent, or Red Crystal symbols to benefit from the protection provided under international humanitarian law," the guidelines note. Additionally, the government asked hospitals to ensure fire safety measures, including ensuring the availability of fire extinguishers, without exception....