VISAKHAPATNAM : To reduce head injury deaths in road accidents, the state government with the help of the US-based organisations would be launching a pilot project in the city on April 14. Besides Visakhapatnam in the state, the project will be taken up in select places in Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.
US-based NRI physicians and the Advisory Committee on the Traumatic Brain Injuries are jointly supporting the pilot project. “An MoU would be signed by the Andhra Pradesh government and the US-based organisations for implementation of the project,” K Satya Vara Prasad, head of neurology department at King George Hospital, told TNIE.
Under the pilot project, a special ambulance with trained staff and equipment to deal with head injuries will be deployed to attend accident cases. Victims who suffer head injuries will be provided first aid on the spot before being shifted to hospital. Measures are being taken to ensure availability of neuro-surgeons in select hospitals. GPRS system will be used for monitoring the ambulance.
In the city limits, about 1,228 accidents occurred during 2014 in which 321 people died of injuries. According to the police officials, about 60-70 per cent of the fatal cases in accidents are due to head injuries.