BGS Global Hospitals in association with Bangalore City Traffic Police unveiled a campaign to create awareness about head injury to commemorate ‘World Head Injury Awareness Day’ observed annually on March 20, 2014.

The key objective of the event was to educate the public recognise a serious head injury and provide basic first aid to save a life.

The Hospital conducted a training program and demonstration on providing first aid and rescue of people with head injuries by BGS Global Hospitals for the traffic police was organised. The training helped them to learn special skills required to deal with emergencies faced by head injury victims at the accident site. Skills to perform Cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) through chest compressions, maintaining breathing of accident victims by providing appropriate rescue breaths, relieving choking, shifting of injured victims, etc can help increase chances of survival and hence save many lives. Trained doctors from the hospital used videos, practice demonstrations and presentations to impart these skills.

B Dayananda, additional commissioner of police-traffic, Bengaluru, called upon the public to  follow safe driving practices and to save one’s lives and  others.  All safety measures like driving a proper vehicle, wearing a helmet, avoiding drunken driving, etc can reduce road accidents.”

“The traffic policeman is the first person to reach a road accident spot. One of the important responsibilities of a traffic policeman is to provide medical aid to the injured person in the fastest possible manner.  It involves providing first aid and shifting the patient to the hospital.  BGS Global Hospitals is providing training in basic life support for traffic policemen. We are sure that this will go a long way in saving precious human lives on roads, he added.

 “The incidence of head injuries and deaths has increased due to road traffic accidents as well as other causes like violence, militancy and falls. Increase in the number of injuries world over attributes to 1.2 million deaths and 5 million permanently disabled. As per WHO statistics, the highest number of deaths due to road traffic accidents is happening in India,” said Dr N K Venkataramana, chief neurosurgeon and vice-chairman, BGS Global Hospitals.

“One of the common causes of fatality in such cases is brain injury. Further, injuries to the brain and spinal cord constitute the leading cause of disability. In accidents, 70 per cent of people will have neurological injury affecting the brain or nerves directly and indirectly. The most affected people are the youth in their productive age group. It is a growing menace and public awareness and their participation is an equally important part to reduce this endemic. Helmets are proven to reduce the severity of injury incidence of skull fracture thereby reducing death and disability. We must insist that the rider and the pillion must wear a helmet,” he added.

Elaborating on accident and trauma victims, Dr. Venkataramana, said that usually head injury victims are unconscious, can have convulsions and hence need immediate support in transporting them to the nearest hospital with facility in the right way in the golden hour should be the primary focus.  If the public is alert and helpful, they could prevent  secondary brain damage due to lack of oxygen or blood supply to the brain. Spinal cord injuries are invisible and hence requires  assisted transportation in an ambulance only to prevent permanent paralysis.

On this occasion of the Head Injury day, we want to spread this message that head and spinal injury is preventable if use all safety precautions are followed including traffic rules, he said.