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| Enhancing Highway Emergency Response in India |
In a significant stride towards fortifying incident management systems and ensuring prompt assistance to accident victims along national highways, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with HLL Lifecare Limited, a Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW). This strategic collaboration, spanning five years, is geared towards mitigating fatalities from road accidents and enhancing emergency medical response infrastructure across the nation's highways.
Significance of the Partnership:
The partnership between NHAI and HLL Lifecare underscores the government's steadfast commitment to curbing road accident fatalities and bolstering emergency medical response mechanisms along national highways. By amalgamating HLL Lifecare's healthcare expertise with NHAI's robust infrastructure, the MoU aims to preserve lives and extend timely assistance to accident victims.
Key Objectives of the MoU:
- Strengthening Incident Management System (IMS): The collaboration will empower NHAI to augment its existing IMS, comprising ambulances, route patrol vans, cranes, real-time tracking, and supportive supervision. This enhancement will expedite response time and facilitate the swift referral of accident victims to nearby health facilities.
- Operation and Management of Trauma Centres: HLL Lifecare will assume responsibility for operating and managing Trauma Centres and Emergency Stabilization Centers, maximizing assistance during the critical golden hour and improving health outcomes for accident victims.
- Enhancement of National Highway Toll-Free Helpline: The agreement aims to fortify services offered through the National Highway Toll-Free Helpline Number 1033, resulting in enhanced response time during emergencies.
Role of HLL Lifecare in the Collaboration:
- Comprehensive Geo-tagging and Mapping: HLL Lifecare will spearhead comprehensive geo-tagging, mapping, and engagement of health facilities and trauma centres along national highways, augmenting emergency medical response by seamlessly linking health facilities with ambulances.
- Blueprint for Trauma Centre Investment: HLL Lifecare will devise a blueprint for investing in trauma centres along national highways.
- Operationalization of State-of-the-Art Ambulance Services: HLL Lifecare will operationalize and manage state-of-the-art ambulance services, equipped with improvised ‘Basic Life Support’ facilities, at select locations on national highways. These ambulances will integrate technology for improved communication, real-time tracking, and coordination.
Capacity Building and Training Initiatives:
- Toll Plaza Staff Training: HLL Lifecare will conduct training and orientation sessions for toll plaza staff on new initiatives and provide basic life support training.
- Enhancement of Toll Plaza Staff Skills: The collaboration will concentrate on enhancing the psychological, behavioral, and soft skills of toll plaza staff, along with providing stress management training.
- Health Screening for Truckers and Highway Users: Health screening initiatives, encompassing eye tests, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and oral cancer screening, will be organized for truckers and highway users at laybys and wayside amenities.
Additionally, a Technical Support Unit will be established to supervise various initiatives and coordinate with NHAI officials for troubleshooting and ensuring effective implementation.
Road Accident Statistics in India:
According to data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, India witnessed 4,61,312 road accidents in 2022, resulting in 1,68,491 deaths and injuries to 4,43,366 people. These statistics indicate a year-on-year increase of 11.9%, 9.4%, and 5.3% in accidents, deaths, and injuries, respectively, compared to 2021.