‘India loses Rs55,000 crore a year in accidents’

Dr Nirmalkumar Rakshe is the vice-president of the trauma and emergency medical services (EMS) of Lokmanya Hospital, Nigdi. He has 15 years of experience in EMS and has played a major role in setting up the trauma system at Lokmanya Hospital, which has 25 Mobile Coronary Care Unit (MCCU) ambulances for 950km of the national highway, thus coming to the aid of patients in over 30,000 emergency cases. Rakshe has also worked as EMS consultant for the Uttarakhand government and had prepared an emergency plan for the state in cases of road accidents and natural calamities, apart from adventure sports, tourism and pilgrimage, funded by the World Bank. He has been executing a road safety programme financed by the Union ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Rakshe explains the importance of EMS to DNA.

Why is EMS essential for a city like Pune?
As far as Pune is concerned, the fatality ratio is 12.7 % per 10,000 vehicles — which is one of the highest in the world. There is around 10% of increase in accidents every year. In the last nine years, there has been a rise of 70% mishaps in the city. Considering all these aspects, EMS is extremely important for a city like Pune.

What is the aim of EMS?
According to a study conducted by the Planning Commission in 2002, India’s estimated loss from accidents stands at a whopping Rs55,000 crore a year. The victims are in the age group of 16 to 58 years and majority of them are earning members of their families. Under EMS, efforts are made to bring all emergency life-saving services like ambulance, police and fire brigade under one roof, so that they work in a coordinated manner in case of emergencies. To provide onsite life-saving treatment and take patients to the nearest medical facility within the golden hour is the basic aim of EMS.

Life-saving treatment is required in road accidents, domestic and industrial emergencies, disaster management (terrorist attacks, natural calamities, fire and riots), hospital-to-hospital patient transfer under medical supervision and so on.

How can road accidents be avoided?
People usually assume nothing can happen to them when they drive. If drivers think and care about their families, mishaps can be prevented. It is important to be a disciplined driver and obey traffic rules and regulations.

What is Lokmanya Hospital’s plan regarding EMS?
We are planning to start separate EMS for the Pimpri-Chinchwad area. The draft plan is ready. We will require 25 ambulances and 150 people for the medical staff. Moreover, the hospital will conduct awareness programmes for students, drivers and associations about the need to drive carefully to avoid mishaps.