Narayana Health launches ‘InsidER,’ India’s first medical docu-drama series, spotlighting real-life emergency cases, raising awareness, and initiating NEAR services.
Narayana Health, a private healthcare provider, premiered India’s first medical docu-drama series titled “InsidER,” which aims at raising awareness on how to understand and respond to medical emergencies. The series was officially launched on March 21, 2024, in Bangalore showcasing the real-life stories of patients navigating life-threatening situations.
The “InsidER” series includes 10 episodes, accessible on platforms like Jio Cinema and Jio TV, with plans for TV+ airing on March 27. Each episode delves into the harrowing experiences of patients in emergency rooms, shedding light on the “golden hour” and the efforts of medical teams to save lives.
Doctors say that through dramatized real-life experiences, the documentary aims to show that such emergencies can happen to anyone. Dr. Nitin Manjunath, Director, Narayana Health, said, “The primary goal is to raise awareness about how medical emergencies are handled, both among the public and clinical professionals. Of course, a lot of it seems like dramatized events, but through these real-life experiences, we aim to show that such emergencies can happen to anyone. For example, if I you ask about the nearest hospital, you should have its contact information readily available.”
The documentary series highlights stories of lives saved due to timely interventions, showcasing the importance of family involvement in reaching the hospital on-time. Additionally, it educates viewers on recognizing and responding to medical emergencies like strokes and road traffic incidents. Dr. Manjunath added, “Despite treating thousands of patients in the emergency ward, certain cases stand out due to the life-saving interventions made possible only through timely action. The documentary showcases these instances and features interviews with the patients who received timely intervention.”
He said, “Once we decided to create the documentary, we made a list, and reached out to all the patients involved.”
Filming the documentary proved to be challenging in terms of production. Ashish Bajaj, chief marketing officer, Narayana Health, said, “Production was a huge challenge for us, because the documentary was shot across several locations in India – Bangalore, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Raipur. We started shooting the documentary 10 months ago, and each episode of the series took us around nine to 10 days. We had to work with a team of doctors, and patients, and their recovery was also kept in mind while shooting the documentary. We had to wait for the doctors to make time, so that we could proceed with the shooting.”
Patients said that without timely intervention, their survival would have been unlikely. Shashi, a marathon runner, said, “I used to run half and full marathons. Last year, I ran a full marathon, and the Ladakh Marathon. I never had any issue with artery blockages, and unless you have a 80 percent blockage , you’ll never come to know.”
He added, “One morning was I was just running, and I collapsed. After that I was rushed to Narayana Hospital in the HSR Layout, and there they figured out that I have a 80 per cent blockage in one of my artery, and that was a cardiac arrest. I was shifted to Narayana, Bommasandra branch, the main facility.”
Shashi said, “The major challenge was my family and doctor feared that memory would be affected. My wife was 14 weeks pregnant at that time, so I remembered that part but I did not remember anything from a week ago, and even now, I do not remember it.”
A 12-year-old boy from Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, accidentally got his hand cut in half while operating a grass cutter in his father’s field. The local hospital referred them to Narayana Hospital, where they received treatment, funded 80 percent through charity.
The docu-drama series was premiered at the PVR theatre, Nexus Mall, Koramangala, from 10 a.m. onwards.
In tandem with the documentary series, Narayana Health started the Narayana Emergency Ambulance Response (NEAR) initiative, inspired by the urgency portrayed in “InsidER.” With a single hotline accessible across India, NEAR provides expert guidance and support until medical assistance arrives.
Narayana Health was founded by Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, a cardiac surgeon. Headquartered in Bangalore, it is a leading presence in the private healthcare services. With 45 facilities worldwide, including hospitals, heart centres, and primary care facilities, Narayana Health has a total bed capacity of 6,164 beds.
