KOCHI: A chief executive of a restaurant came across an elderly man bleeding by the roadside in Pune. People around him were deliberating on what to do when the executive put the man in his car and drove him to the closest hospital. The hospital gave him a bunch of papers to fill in, before turning him away. The next one swamped him with more paperwork before tending to the patient. In total, he says, he spent three hours filling these forms.
“They ask, ‘Are you a relative?’ The moment you say ‘No’, they don’t do anything,” says the executive. “They wait for somebody to give them an assurance that the bill will be paid. As a result, valuable time is lost.” The elderly man finally received treatment once the paperwork was completed, but it was too late. He died of his injuries.Such stories of unnecessary dilly-dallying which led to delayed treatment forced Delhi native Akash Agarwal and the Kochi-based Vishnu Dileesh to co-found the EmeReCard, an emergency response system which facilitates immediate treatment to the victims.
The system is simple. Those who subscribe for the card will receive a kit containing a bike or car sticker, helmet sticker, keychain and a debit-like card. These stickers contain a QR code which can be scanned by the first responder or the doctor to get the pre-existing medical condition of the victim. The system then automatically sends an SOS to the families or corporates or friends (whoever the victim has enlisted as an emergency contact) with the information of the location of the site and the phone number of the first responder or doctor treating the victim.
Now, the founders are creating an awareness among the public on how this kit can make you a part of the emergency response system. They are also planning to create awareness on how people who come across victims, should respond using the emergency response system. “In most cases, mobile phones of the victims cannot be accessed during the time of the accident as they are blocked most of the time. Also, doctors don’t have personal information of the victim which is why they are reluctant to treat them,” said Akash Agarwal, CEO.
PERSONAL EMERGENCY CARD
Problems faced in most cases
The doctor in the emergency department at any hospital has no clue about the accident or medical emergency victim and his pre-existing medical condition. This causes a delay in treatment.
The family and friends get to know about the accident very late which leads to a gap in disseminating information between the emergency doctor and family.
A Good Samaritan is required to pay for or assure to pay for the treatment of the victim due to which people shy away from taking a victim to the hospital.
How does EmeReCard work
First Responder on the road checks for the EmeReCard elements of the victim and scans the QR code or calls on the EmeReCard emergency number.
EmeReCard identifies the number and location of the first responder and relays the info to registered family and friends of the accident/emergency victim.
The Emergency Doctor number at the hospital scans the qr code or calls on the EmeReCard emergency number and gets information about the critical medical condition of the accident/emergency victim.
The Immediate family and friends of the victim are alerted with an SOS containing doctor’s number and location so they can reach the hospital in time and take care of the victim.