To provide immediate assistance to accident victims and strengthen the Incident Management System (IMS) on the National Highways, the Central road-making agency NHAI is working to enhance its existing IMS, which includes ambulances, route patrol vans and cranes, real-time tracking, and supportive supervision.
NHAI officials said this will improve response time and facilitate the referral of accident victims to the nearest health facilities, establishing a seamless process for incident management.
“This will include the Operation & Management of Trauma Centres/Emergency Stabilisation Centers to maximise assistance during the golden hour and improve health outcomes. This will also help to strengthen services provided through the National Highway Toll-Free Helpline Number 1033, resulting in improved response time,” said the official.
As part of this effort, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has collaborated with HLL Lifecare Limited, a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW).
Under the agreement, HLL Lifecare Limited will undertake training and orientation of the Toll Plaza Staff on new initiatives and provide basic life support.
Additionally, capacity building for Toll Plaza staff to improve their psychological and behavioural skills, soft skills, and stress management will be undertaken.
Moreover, HLL Lifecare Limited will provide services for comprehensive geo-tagging, mapping, and engagement of health facilities and trauma centers across National Highways to enhance emergency medical response by linking health facilities with ambulances.
A blueprint for investment in trauma centers along National Highways will also be created by HLL Lifecare Limited.
The HLL will also operationalise and manage state-of-art ambulance services which will be equipped with improvised ‘Basic Life Support’ at select locations of National Highways and will integrate technology for better communication, real time tracking and coordination.
Along with this, health screening for truckers and highway users such as eye test, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and oral cancer screening and wayside amenities will also be organised. A technical support unit will also be established to provide supervision to various initiatives and coordinate with concerned NHAI officials for trouble shooting and effective implementation.
“This agreement will remain in effect for a period of five years. This unique collaboration between two government organisations underlines NHAI’s focus to enhance the incident management system and provide timely assistance to accidents victims. This arrangement will play a prominent role in providing immediate medical assistance and save precious lives on the National Highways across the country,” said the official.
The MoU was signed in presence of NHAI chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav and Kuruvilla PC, Associate Vice President & Business Head, HLL Lifecare Limited, along with other senior officials from NHAI and HLL Lifecare Ltd.
