Law to deal with trauma could help prevent lakhs of deaths in India: SaveLIFE Foundation report
The Hindu
A designated universal helpline for medical emergencies, properly-staffed emergency response vehicles, and well-trained emergency medical technicians can help save the lives of lakhs of people in the country who die due to lack of medical attention every year, SaveLIFE Foundation, an NGO dedicated to enhancing road safety and emergency medical care, has said in a report.
A designated universal helpline for medical emergencies, properly-staffed emergency response vehicles, and well-trained emergency medical technicians can help save the lives of lakhs of people in the country who die due to lack of medical attention every year, SaveLIFE Foundation, an NGO dedicated to enhancing road safety and emergency medical care, has said in a report.
The NGO has sought a legislation, the Right to Emergency Medical Care Act, to establish agencies, systems, and protocols to deal with medical emergency situations throughout India.
Currently, India does not have a law guaranteeing emergency medical care as a right. The Supreme Court had held that Article 21 (Protection of Life and Personal Liberty) of the Constitution casts an obligation on the authorities to preserve life.
However, the apex court’s judgement neither prescribes the basic standards to deal with various medical emergency cases nor state any punitive measure for medical facilities that violate a trauma victim’s right to life.
A 2021 NITI Aayog report on ‘Emergency and Injury Care at District Hospitals in India’ remarked, “90% of ambulances don’t have any equipment/oxygen, 95% of ambulances have untrained personnel, most emergency departments doctors have no formal training in emergency medical services, and 30% of the deaths occur due to delay in emergency care.”
In its report, the NGO has proposed the development of programmes with a standardised curriculum and certifications to train citizens in large numbers in the basic skills needed to manage emergency medical situations.
It has also suggested that the Right to Emergency Care Act may expand the scope of the Good Samaritan law, which rewards people who provide immediate assistance to victims of road accidents, to include all kinds of trauma cases.
Prarthana Prasad is a social media influencer, entrepreneur and a leading voice from the LGBTQ+ community. At a recent Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Conclave held in Bengaluru she opened up about how she is often a “token ticket” for the corporate world, increasingly contacted by brands for promotion during Pride Month.