THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Government will soon launch 'Emergency Medical Scheme' in taluk hospitals along and near the National Highway to provide swift and efficient medical care for accident victims. "The plan is to set up a comprehensive trauma care unit in taluk hospitals around the Highway," transport minister A K Saseendran said while responding to a discussion on 'increasing road accidents in the state' initiated by Congress MLA K S Sabarinadhan in the Assembly on Monday.
"Along with the trauma care centres, financial assistance will also be provided as part of the scheme to purchase ambulances," he added. At least 540 ambulances are required to provide the service envisaged under the scheme. The ultimate aim is to reach the victims to the nearest hospitals within the 'golden hour', the one-hour period after the accident when most accidents occur. The proposal for the Emergency Medical Scheme has already been submitted by the Health Department to both Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIF-B) and the Road Safety Authority. "Our proposal has been devised in such a way that mortality on highways can be brought down considerably," health minister K K Shylaja said.
Sabarinadhan, while initiating the discussion under Rule 58, said that 78 percent of the 39,014 road accidents in the state fall under the fatal and grievous categories. He said that there were 4296 accidental deaths in the state in 2015. "This means on an average there are 11 deaths in the state daily," he said. He cited figures that said that 97 percent of accidents in the state had been caused by the carelessness of drivers.
PWD minister G Sudhakaran said that there should be "drivers' schools" in each district. He also did not want leniency to be shown towards traffic offenders. "If there are serious violations, the licence should be withdrawn," he said and then issued a note of warning to the other legislators: "When something like this is done, no one should come seeking favours for the guilty."
