CHENNAI: With the aim to strengthen the response mechanism to road traffic accidents (RTA) and reduce mortality, particularly on highways, the Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project (TNHSP) has started training 50 persons residing within a one-km radius of 50 accident hotspots across TN to act as first responders.
The programme will be implemented in collaboration with EMRI Green Health Services and GVK Enterprise, which operates the 108 ambulance service. Apart from handling trauma care cases, the first responders will also be trained in managing medical emergencies caused due to poisoning, snake bites, drowning, and other such exigencies, sources said.
The training programme for the first responders has been completed in Vellore, Tiruchy, and Madurai.
First responders will also be trained to handle poisoning, snakebites
The programme is being conducted as part of the TN Accident and Emergency Care Initiative, which is designed to improve trauma care by integrating pre-hospital, in-hospital, and rehabilitation services for accident victims
Speaking to TNIE, M Selvakumar, state head of operations, EMRI Green Health Services, said the training will soon be extended to other districts. Any person who is willing to be trained and act as a first responder will be included under the initiative, he said.
Once the training is completed in all districts, the mobile numbers of the responders will be integrated with the 108 database. When a call is received requesting 108 ambulance service, the emergency response officers (ERO) at the 108 call centre will assign an ambulance to the accident spot. Simultaneously, an SMS alert will be sent to the phone numbers of the first responders at the particular site.
Once the training programme is completed in all the places, the mobile numbers of the responders will be integrated with the 108 database. When a call is received requesting 108 ambulance service from an identified hotspot, the emergency response officers at the 108 call centre will assign an ambulance to the accident spot. Simultaneously, an SMS alert will be sent to the phone number of the first responders at the particular site.
“As the average ambulance response time to an accident spot is around 11 minutes, these trained first responders will reach the spot to provide first aid before the ambulance arrives. This is aimed at preventing deaths in road accident cases,” said Selvakumar. He added that necessary permissions will be sought from TRAI to send bulk SMSes and a distinct alert tone will be used so that the messages are not missed among other SMSes that the responders may receive.
Dr Keerthi Varman, head of the 108 Emergency Medicine Learning Centre, said, “The training will be conducted in nearby government institutions. We are planning to cover all 38 districts before the end of this year. The first responders will get a certificate and a first-aid manual,” he added.
The trainees will be taught the do’s and don’ts in medical emergencies, Dr Varman said, emphasising that what should not be done is also important since the public, who rush to help with good intentions, may sometimes do something that is not medically advisable. They will be trained not only to handle road traffic accident trauma cases but also medical emergencies like poisoning, snake bites, drowning and other exigencies, he added.
To handle all exigencies
The first responders will also be trained in managing medical emergencies caused due to poisoning, snake bites, drowning, and other such exigencies, Keerthi Varman, EMLC head, said