Saving lives on road: SC told states to put in 5 key measures, hardly any state did, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• India records a dismal 1.77 lakh road fatalities annually, with a significant lack of trauma care infrastructure across states.
• The Supreme Court had mandated five key measures for states, including a common emergency number, GPS-equipped ambulances, and a Good Samaritan Law.
• Data submitted by 34 states and Union Territories reveals that not a single state has fully implemented the comprehensive trauma care architecture.
• Eight states, accounting for two-thirds of accident deaths, largely failed to integrate emergency numbers into 112 and establish a trauma registry.
• The Supreme Court issued its directives following a petition by the SaveLIFE Foundation to establish a uniform trauma care system.

Detailed Insights:

• The five measures are crucial for effective response during the Golden Hour, the critical first 60 minutes post-accident for saving lives.
• Poor inter-agency coordination, multiple departments, and lack of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are key reasons for states' non-compliance.
• The National Emergency Response System (NERS), launched in 2019 with 112 as the single emergency number, faces integration challenges at the district and state levels.
• Fear of harassment by police or hospitals deters people from helping accident victims, despite the Good Samaritan Rules, 2020, notified under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019.
• Only two of the eight high-fatality states (Maharashtra and Karnataka) have a grievance redressal system for Good Samaritans.
• A trauma registry, vital for auditing medical care and informing policy, is absent in five of the eight high-fatality states.
• Many states lack GPS in ambulances, especially private ones, and public dashboards for tracking ambulance movements are largely unavailable.
• A NITI Aayog-AIIMS Emergency and Injury Care Report from 2021 indicates that delays in emergency care contribute to at least 30% of trauma-related deaths.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Golden Hour: The critical first 60 minutes after a traumatic injury when prompt medical attention can significantly improve survival chances.
• Good Samaritan Law: Legal provisions protecting individuals who voluntarily offer assistance to others in distress, particularly accident victims, from civil or criminal liability.
• Trauma Registry: A clinical database that systematically collects and tracks data on injured patients from the scene of injury through treatment and discharge, used for quality improvement and research.
• National Emergency Response System (NERS) / 112: A pan-India single emergency helpline number launched by the Union Home Ministry to integrate various emergency services like police, fire, and medical.