Dr Arul Raj, president, Indian Medical Association, has called for the setting up of a National Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Council. He pointed out that though there was enough infrastructure and resources in the country for EMS, the country lacked better coordination and direction towards achieving this goal and also the individual and isolated efforts to maximum community utility.
Speaking to Pharmabiz.com, Dr Raj, who was in Hyderabad to attend a Round Table to evolve a national policy on EMS, stressed the need for an all-India Council to frame and implement uniform guidelines and delivers EMS throughout the country at global standards.
Dr Raj said that primarily there must be a state-level council, which should have the participation of the health ministry, surface transport ministry, the pharmaceutical industry, corporate hospitals, police and communication departments, besides the involvement of IMA, Rotary Clubs, NGOs and other voluntary social organisations. This should be expanded to all the states and IMA would take the lead in coordinating the activities of the various state councils by establishing National Council.
Dr Raj said the year 2003 had been already declared as the Year of EMS by the Indian Medical Association, which would be celebrating its Platinum Jubilee this year. He said IMA would act as a pivotal agency for Emergency Medical Service, which was not going in the right direction. He has highlighted the need for quality-oriented service through proper education of the doctors, nurses, paramedics, drivers, police, fire services and above all the general public. The Round Table was represented by the corporate hospitals, IMA (AP), the Indian Red Cross society (AP chapter), the AP Nursing Homes Association, the police and the traffic departments, besides the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin.
The Round Table was part of the annual Continuing Medical Education (CME) programme organized by Medi Citi Hospitals from January 3 to 5. The theme for this year's programme included recent advances in trauma, surgery, emergency medical service, disaster management and management of HIV/AIDS. About 10 international speakers and 20 nationally reputed doctors consisted of the faculty for the CME which was attended by more than 300 doctors and paramedics specialised in EMS and HIV/AIDS. Dr Vijay Kumar of Medi Citi Hospital was the Programme Director.
Dr Bala Subramaniam, Head of EMS, Martin Luther King Jr, Charles R Drew Medical Center Los Angeles and member of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, who delivered the guest lecture on "EMS - the Road Travelled," also presented papers on EMS in Disaster Management and on EMS system in the US. He talked about the American model where the patient is taken to the hospital and the European model where the hospital goes to the patient. He said India should learn from the two models and evolve a suitable model relevant to Indian conditions. He also stressed the need for continuous education for the medical staff, uniform standards, efficient communication system, better ambulances etc. "Even if we have an efficient Medical Director he cannot function in a vacuum," he said.
Dr Manjul Joshipura, Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon, Ahmedabad, presented a paper on National Trauma Management course in India. He said training was the weakest link in the chain of EMS. He stressed the need for standardisation of curriculum and its incorporation at the under-graduate and post-graduate levels. The education must be continuous for the staff to update knowledge, he said.
Dr Rajiv Yervadekar, Director, and Dr Prasad Rajhans, Course Coordinator, both from Symbiosis Centre of Health Care, Pune, presented papers on the training programme for doctors and paramedics in their institute and how the EMS system was successfully working in Pune with the networking of major multi-speciality hospitals, well-equipped ambulances, good communication systems and a three-digit common access number 105 for emergency calls.
In another parallel session on HIV/AIDS, the speakers allayed fears in treating HIV cases. Delivering a talk on HIV and health care professionals, Dr Dinakar, head of the department of Internal Medicine, Medi Citi, said effective post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) facilities were now available to be employed for health care professionals. Simple and universal precautions would be useful in preventing the transmission of HIV from the patient to the health care staff and hence there should be no hesitation in treating the HIV patients, he said
A better management of spills, proper handling of needles, complete destruction of disposable syringes and use of gloves should be strictly followed by the staff, he suggested.
Dr Richard Erlam, Consultant Surgeon, Royal London Hospital, guided the deliberations at the three-day seminar. He delivered the keynote address on Development of Surgery and the guest lecture on Recent Advances in Surgery of Esophagus.