Educating all stakeholders on emergency care

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Educating all stakeholders on emergency care
Dr Yasser Chomayil,HOD Emergency Medicine, Aster MIMS Kottakkal

Published: Sun 16 Oct 2016, 6:00 PM

Last updated: Sun 16 Oct 2016, 8:11 PM

We have a social initiative at Aster  MIMS Kottakkal called SAVIOURS (Saving Accident Victims Through an Integrated Organised Uniform Response System), which is running successfully for three years. Patients often tell us that they are able to move their limbs soon after the accident but after being shifted to a vehicle and transported to the hospital they are unable to move. As a result, we started identifying the people who bring accident victims to the hospital.
We started educating them by giving them hands-on training. Those who cleared a test were given a certificate and an identity card. They were also provided with a spine board and a first-aid kit. When an accident occurs, trained people go there, assess the situation and take care of the injured. In case of an accident, priority is given to the survivors.
We have four SAVIOUR areas: Palghat district, Kondooty, Vyalathur and Morayoor. We review the results every three months.
The next social programme we intend to focus on is called Mission 100. The emergency call number for police in India is 100. We have trained policeman from Malappuram district in trauma management and basic life support. We've trained more than 20,000 people, including school and college students, factory workers, and people from Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Shala.
We conduct paramedical courses in Emergency Medicine. In this hospital, we see more of trauma, cardiac and stroke patients. Importantly, the first four-and-a-half hours are crucial for stroke patients. We thrombolyse the patients.
In the hospital, a stroke code is announced once a patient arrives. Other services are put on hold and full attention is given to the patient. We have done more than 50 thrombolysis procedures in the last two months.
Keralites are more prone congenitally to heart attacks and strokes. This is due to consumption of more fast food, less vegetables, and no manual work. Hypertension and diabetes are two major diseases seen in Kerala. Earlier diabetes would be diagnosed in elderly patients. Now even 30-year-olds are diagnosed with diabetes. Recently, we attended to a 31-year-old stroke patient who is a teacher.  Our oldest patient for thrombolysis is 87 years old.
- As told to Suchitra Steven Samuel

by

Suchitra Steven Samuel

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