Why is India’s emergency healthcare system in tatters?

Why is India’s emergency healthcare system in tatters?

India’s emergency healthcare system is in absolute tatters. The moment there’s an accident it’s often the police who are called first rather than the paramedics. Trauma care barely exists, resulting in 1,60,000 deaths due to road accidents every year.  Most ambulances have no medical equipment and very few doctors are trained in emergency care. This is terrible because the first 60 minutes after an accident are vital. Take for example the fact that in Delhi, the Centralised Accident and Trauma service has 34 ambulances for a population of nearly 17 million. Last month 70 more added to the list but that’s still doesn’t bridge the supply and demand numbers.

Most accident victims end up riding taxis masquerading as ambulances. Most people don’t even know the emergency helpline number. Even the emergency rooms suffer from lack of specialised trauma training. Emergency medicine was recognised as a subject in 2009 and the programmes accredited by the Medical Council of India (MCI) admit only 22 doctors every year.