The Hindu : Medicare service for accident victims launched

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 22, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Medicare service for accident victims launched

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, MARCH 21. A Statewide centralised `Emergency Medical Service' for accident victims was launched on the occasion of Ugadi, the Telugu New Year day, here on Sunday.

A collaborative venture between Government agencies and corporate hospitals, this service aims to provide quick time but high quality medical care to accident victims. It can be accessed by phoning 1056 as a common number.

In the first phase, highways between Hyderabad and Vijayawada, Guntur and Karimnagar have been provided with this service. Kurnool - Hyderabad - Nizamabad and the Hyderabad - Zaheerabad stretches would be added in a few weeks, while the Srikakulam-Tada highway would be added later.

All calls made on 1056 number would be directed to a central monitoring station, which would then alert the medical facility nearest to the accident site. Various Government and private medical facilities have been identified on these highways to serve as bases for ambulances and emergency medical staff. These ambulances are fitted with advanced life-support systems and the medical and paramedical staff have been specially trained to handle accident victims. They would also carry cellphones to enable hospitals to be informed in advance about the medical needs of the victims.

Transport to the nearest hospital and resuscation of the victims would be provided free of cost. Further medical attention would be provided at the hospital of choice of the patient, either private or Government. At present, Kamineni, Apollo, Care, Global and Nagarjuna Hospitals have joined this scheme along with Accident Care Trust.

Speaking on the occasion, the director general, A.P. Vaidya Vidhana Parishad, K. Anji Reddy, said that an average 40,000 accident victims are registered every year in the State, of whom about 10,000 die. Of these deaths, about 70 per cent can be saved if proper medical attention is provided within the first hour called "golden hour". This new service would focus on them, he said.

He termed this as a "model" of public-private partnership in the State and said that its success depended on good synergy between Government departments like the police, telecom, medical hospitals and corporate hospitals. He added that proper functioning of this project would provide other patients with organs for transplantation.

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Andhra Pradesh