New Delhi: In a significant move that may help cut down incidents of fatal accidents in India, ministry of health and ministry of road transport and highways are all set to come out with “ambulance protocols”.
The ministries are also in the process of obtaining black spot data from the states based on which locations of new trauma centres shall be decided.
The Cabinet secretary is expected to take up the matter soon with both the ministries.
The new protocols for ambulances suggest GPS systems to be installed and raising standards of medical equipment in the ambulance, among others.
To reduce the impact of collision, the ministry is also considering making air bags mandatory in new cars.
“The government is drawing up plans to redress the matter holistically. The matter is high on government’s agenda, suggestions like mandatory air bags in cars have also been floated. While, the ministries are working on the draft, the Cabinet secretary is expected to coordinate with the stakeholder ministries soon,” said a senior official.
The government supports the states in providing ambulance services. Nearly, 16,000 ambulances have been provided by the government.
According to government data, highway accidents increased by 10.4 per cent between 2003 and 2012.
According to the WHO, the death rate per 1,00,000 population for road traffic accident has increased from 16.8 in 2009 to 18.9 in 2013.
