The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : EMRI to get global recognition

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Wednesday, May 06, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

EMRI to get global recognition

PHOTO: NAGARA GOPAL

Reaching out: ITLS board member Russell Bieniek addressing a press conference in Hyderabad on Tuesday. -

HYDERABAD: The Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI), which operates ‘108’ ambulance fleet in nine States, is likely to get chapter status from the US-based International Trauma Life Support (ITLS) next month.

Once it is granted, the institute will offer a globally-accepted trauma care course for healthcare professionals.

An emergency care expert and ITLS board member Russell Bieniek on Tuesday visited EMRI and inspected its facilities and training programmes. Later he told reporters that ITLS’s philosophy was to teach people a standard format for taking care of trauma patients so that more lives could be saved.

He emphasised that moving casualty care to the accident spot within minutes would reduce the mortality rate by 25 per cent. Once EMRI got the chapter status, it could slightly modify the methods to suit Indian conditions. Dr. Russell pointed out that the road conditions, traffic density and vehicular speed were different here compared to the US. Hence it was important to wear seat belts and use airbags . “In accidents when people are thrown out of vehicles the mortality rate is as high as 50 per cent, while it is around 10 per cent when precautions are taken,” he said.

G.V. Ramana Rao , Executive Partner, EMRI’s Emergency Medicine Learning and Care division, was also present.

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