The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu today called for stepping up investments to provide timely and high-quality Emergency Health Services in India.He also wanted all stakeholders in the health sector to develop programs and manuals to train citizens in emergency first aid procedures such as Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for people as they would help in saving lives while waiting for emergency services.Inaugurating the 10th Asian Conference of Emergency Medicine (ACEM) at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi, the Vice President pointed out that over 3,700 die in accidents on world’s roads every day and tens of millions get injured or disabled every year. He said children, pedestrians, cyclists, and older people were among the most vulnerable of road users. Many of the road accident deaths could be prevented by providing immediate pre-hospital care.Calling for steps to create a well-structured Emergency Medical Services, he said that bystander training and protocols for trauma resuscitation were extremely important elements in improving the architecture of emergency medicine.While pointing out that schemes such as Ayushman Bharat would greatly help the poor and needy in accessing quality healthcare and emergency medical services, the Vice President said “Irrespective of insurance coverage or a person’s capacity to pay, no hospital can deny the right to treatment in emergency cases,” he said.
The Vice President stressed the need to develop standardized treatment manuals for all hospitals dealing with emergency and trauma cases in India.“Taking into consideration the topographical and other diversities between India and the Western countries, the Asian Society of Emergency Medicine should come up with tailor-made solutions to the emergency conditions peculiar to this region with particular focus on reaching the rural population,” he said.Shri Naidu asked Medical colleges to incorporate courses relating to emergency medicine and train the undergraduates to deal with the whole gamut of emergencies such as accidents, heart attacks, natural calamities, and others.Referring to the growing incidence of Non Communicable Diseases, especially among the youth, Vice President urged medical professionals to visit nearby schools and colleges to create awareness on preventive measures and to adopt healthy dietary and lifestyle habits.Prof. Yildirey Cete, President, Asian Society for Emergency Medicine, India, Dr. K. Hariprasad, Executive Chairman, ACEM, Dr. Sateesh Kailasam, President, Asian Society for Emergency Medicine were among the dignitaries present at the inaugural of the Conference which will see participation of over 2000 delegates from different countries in coming four days.