Road accidents kill a person every four minutes in India and most of these deaths can be attributed to poor trauma treatment facilities. The government therefore plans to seek expertise of top foreign trauma consultants to lower fatalities.
The health ministry is seeking Union cabinet’s approval for an agreement with Australia’s National Trauma Research Institute (NTRI), which will provide assistance in developing a world-class system for handling critical accident victims.
The NTRI is considered as a leading centre in population-based trauma management. The institute, based in the state of Victoria of Australia, has already been providing assistance to All India Institute of Medical Sciences for running its Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre.
The agreement is expected to beef up the existing infrastructure in handling accident cases. The NTRI will also help upgrading a trauma registry and research in the field of trauma management.
India witnesses one of the highest rates of road accidents in the world. More people die in this country due to road accidents than neighbouring China. According to the latest statistics of the road ministry, in 2012, 490,383 accidents on Indian roads killed 138,258 people, which means 15 people were killed in road mishaps in every hour.
The collaboration with the Australians will aim to enhance the immediate care system, which is crucial in saving lives in road accidents. The first one hour is called the ‘golden hour’ as it provides the crucial time to address trauma. The government also plans to develop 85 trauma centres across the states to strengthen accident trauma treatment. It has already started providing assistance to 116 medical colleges and civil hospitals for treating trauma patients.
{{/usCountry}}The collaboration with the Australians will aim to enhance the immediate care system, which is crucial in saving lives in road accidents. The first one hour is called the ‘golden hour’ as it provides the crucial time to address trauma. The government also plans to develop 85 trauma centres across the states to strengthen accident trauma treatment. It has already started providing assistance to 116 medical colleges and civil hospitals for treating trauma patients.
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