‘Make ambulances priority on roads’

Civil Society forum Kashmir ambulance initiatives (CSFK) in collaboration with S.P Traffic Maqsood-ul-Zaman, SKIMS, SMHS,  Help poor Trust , Police Control Room Batmaloo & SDRF waved off ambulance service in Srinagar City, saying “we should give priority to the services on the roads.”

“If critical patient is on board make sure you call the traffic police numbers before you leave,” CSFK statement issued here said.

“The most crucial time for a critical patient is the travel between referral institutes to tertiary care hospitals,”

“The hassles that the ambulance faces are traffic jams and blockades. Many lives are lost because of the delay caused thereby. To check this and ensure smooth passage, the CSFK tries to bring together the traffic police and the health department. The procedure is very simple every time a critical care patient is onboard the driver or the any official should be mandatorily informing the traffic police control room on designated numbers. The traffic police will then devise a route for the ambulance, ensure minimum hassle for it on the roads so that it reaches its destination as soon as possible. “

What is required in this?

A Standard operating procedure needs to be drafted by the health department. An official communication needs to go to all the hospitals in the valley.  An officer on duty needs to be identified by each hospital whose job would be to inform the traffic police on the phone number given.

“If a critical care patient leaves from Kupwara district hospital. An on-duty official from there needs to call Srinagar traffic control room number. The call is a must. This needs to be made official,” CSFK said.

Minister for Health, Chaudhry Lal Singh was the chief guest o the occasion, while, R&B Minister, Syed Altaf Bukhari Div Com Kashmir, Asgar Samoon, IG Kashmir, SJM Geelani, IG CRPF, Nalin Prabhat, IG Traffic, DIG, Traffic were also present.

108 ambulance services must for JK

The state which needs it the most is no critical care service.  A report on accident deaths recently revealed that 63.5 % deaths due to unnatural causes in J&K are because of road accidents. In Kashmir alone, around 1000 people have died in last 3 years on roads. Add to it the trauma situations arsing due to the ongoing conflict. Many of these deaths could have been prevented if there was a robust emergence care system. As of now the state has none. Thousands of lives can be saved if a proper ambulance system like 108 is in place. When an emergency is reported through 108, the call taker gathers the needed basic information and dispatches appropriate services. Emergency help dispatched through this process is expected to reach the site of the emergency in an average of 18 minutes. Pre-hospital care will be given to patients being transported to the nearest hospital. Saving countless lives .