Bengaluru: On Thursday, state run Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), JeevaRaksha Trust in collaboration with the department of health and family welfare, Karnataka, on Thursday launched an initiative called RASTHA (Rapid Response, Assessment, Stabilisation & Safe Transport in Highway Accidents), to ensure timely medical help to the road accident victims.
Under the project, the Karnataka health department wants to train the trauma responders, who include police officials, ambulance drivers and citizens living within a 3 km radius of the 26 identified accident hotspots in Karnataka.
In 2022, the accident hotspots in the state were listed by the ministry of road, transport and highways (MoRTH) in 2022. These hotspots were identified in Mysuru, Hubli-Dharwad, Tumkuru, Mangaluru, Davangere, Belgaum, Gulbarga, Bellary, Mandya.
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The health officials say that under RASTHA first time responders would be trained in managing polytrauma victims. Polytrauma occurs when a person has sustained multiple injuries, some of which could cause disability and death.
“Each hotspot will have 160 skilled responders and 60 trained hospital staff who will be upskilled through this program. The first time responders will be trained on how to handle the accident victims. The nearest hospitals located around the accident hotspots will be informed in advance about a trauma case reaching them. The ambulance drivers will also be trained on how to handle the accident victims and which department should they be taken on reaching the hospitals. People die due to excessive bleeding so many do not know if clothes should be tied on the injured part. We will train the first time responders about these aspects,” an official said.
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Karnataka health commissioner, Randeep D said, “RASTHA project will help supplement efforts of the health department in extending free medical treatment in empanelled hospitals for those injured in road accidents. Training first responders by JeevaRaksha along the accident hotspots is a key aspect. RASTHA project will ensure training of First Responders in pre hospital trauma care. We hope to save more lives by timely intervention to those injured in road traffic accidents.”
Karnataka principal secretary for health, T K Anil Kumar said, “Every year 4,000 lives are lost in road accidents in Karnataka. While the number of vehicles are increasing and will increase further, we need to deal with the challenge of accidents in a systematic manner. Our aim is to reduce the number of accidents. The empanelled hospitals around the accident hotspots will treat the trauma victims.”
JeevaRaksha Trust is a special purpose vehicle created by Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka and Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement to roll out ‘Certified Skill Courses’ in Emergency Care and Life Support equipping doctors, nurses, paramedics and lay public with necessary skills so as to transform the Emergency Care response system and thus save lives.
