The Society for Emergency Medicine in India (SEMI) has decided on an Action Plan that includes a pilot project to provide emergency care of international standard. As part of the Action Plan, Hyderabad would be developed as a model metro, Guntur as a model town and the highway linking Hyderabad and Guntur as a model highway. Subsequently, the standard and quality of emergency care developed and implemented in this pilot project would be extended to the entire country. The project would be launched in association with the Government of Andhra Pradesh. This was stated by Dr Hari Prasad, Organising Secretary, while talking to Pharmabiz at the conclusion of the three-day International Conference on Emergency Medicine in Hyderabad from October 25 to 27.

SEMI would implement the various suggestions and recommendations that emerged at the conference. While Health Minister Dr Kodela Sivaprasad Rao had already agreed to start post-graduate courses in all the medical colleges in Andhra Pradesh, the conference strongly recommended to the Central and state governments to set up emergency and disaster management cells in the ministry of health, recognize Emergency Medicine as a Super Speciality and start courses in EM at undergraduate and post-graduate levels in all the medical colleges in the country.

Dr Hari Prasad said the conference identified three thrust areas that needed immediate attention - education in Emergency Medicine, Clinical emergency services and disaster management. Besides starting courses in EM, he stressed the need for mass education to help save lives in emergencies. This was very important, especially in disaster management where sometimes hundreds of lives would be in danger or threatened.

Dr Hari Prasad said in clinical emergency the stress was on pre-hospital and in-hospital services. In hospitals, services could be improved by laying down some basic standards of quality together with training the entire staff to handle emergencies. Emergency care providers should try to prevent loss of life first and then prevent loss of limbs. Then the patient should be referred to the respective specialists.

In pre-hospital services the conference suggested a single access telephone number across the country on the lines of the common number of 100 and 101 allotted to the police and the Fire Brigade respectively. Dr Hari Prasad said it was decided that 1066 would be the national emergency number and all other numbers existing now would have to be withdrawn.

He said SEMI would prepare a common code and prescribe standardized quality services with the help of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine, India, and other associations and individuals. All stakeholders, including the private, public and government institutions would be involved in the process.

The conference elected Dr Mabel Vasnaik, head of the Department of Emergency Medicine, St John's Hospital, Bangalore, as president of the executive committee, Dr Mahesh Joshi, Apollo Hospitals, as vice-president and Dr Sudhakar Rai, also of Apollo Hospitals, as general secretary. The second International Conference on Emergency Medicine will be held in Pune from October 24 to 26, 2003.

Dr Scott Alterman, Christ Hospital, Chicago, told Pharmabiz that the quality of medical care presentations at the conference was of international level. He said the organizers did a wonderful job and it was an honour for him to be part of it. He said the tremendous interest shown by the participants should be converted into action. They must work towards cooperation and integration of the different healthcare systems and move towards common system across the country.

Dr George Abraham, president, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, India, told Pharmabiz that the propagation of Emergency Medicine was the only goal of his organization consisting of emergency doctors of Indian origin. The Academy provides technical advice and help set up EMS system in India.

He said in pre-hospital services, India was at least 30 years behind the US. "But the way we are doing it, we'll catch up with the US in 5-10 years." He also wanted the participants to get together to make the movement successful.