Medical emergencies including road accidents, railway mishaps, burns, sport injuries, cardiac-related emergencies, and fits cannot be foreseen but take place each day. Unfortunately, most emergency cases result in death due to lack of immediate medical attention. However, the government is working towards building a well-equipped, accessible and affordable network of healthcare services in partnership with Ziqitza Emergency Healthcare Services. While it is important to be aware of the emergency numbers including 108, 1298 and 102, it is imperative to be well informed on how to handle medical emergencies calmly as first aid can go a long way in saving lives.
Some of the tips are:
- Firstly, being aware of the emergency numbers across the country including: All India Railway Helpline number: 1512, Police Control Room (All over India): 100, Women’s Helpline (All Over in India): 181, Medical Helpline (Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Assam, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh): 108, Ambulance helpline (National highways): 102 and Ambulance Service (Mumbai, Bihar, Odisha, Punjab and Kerala): 1298.
- At an accident site, the first thing to do is to check for injuries on the victim.
- Treat the quietest victims first as they are usually the most injured or are unable to breathe.
- In case the victim appears unconscious, place him on his back and avoid crowding him.
- If the victim is not breathing, open his mouth to ensure that there are no food particles or blood inside. If there is, then use your index and middle finger to clear the airway or take a cloth and clean it.
- If the victim remains unconscious, administer mouth to mouth resuscitation.
- In case of visible bleeding, cover the bleeding area and press down with your palms till help arrives.
- Do not force the victim to sit up or drink water. In the case of physical deformities or fractures, it is best advisable to keep the movements to a minimum and use ice packs for the swelling.
- If the victim’s neck is in an awkward position, refrain from moving him as it could be a spinal injury which might worsen due to incorrect movements.
- If the patient vomits blood or bleeds from the mouth, turn him to his side in order to avoid choking.
- Accident victims usually feel excessively cold and it is important to keep them warm with a blanket, jacket or a shirt.
Though we may be busy hustling and bustling about with our day-to-day activities, society needs to be sensitive to people in need, especially in times of emergencies. It is our humane duty to reach out to those who need our help and care. Additionally, armed with the right knowledge of how best to act in such situations is most critical. Most importantly, we need to comfort those in pain, while we wait in those crucial moments before professional medical help arrives. So, let us all come together and unite with Ziqitza Emergency Healthcare Services in making our country a safer place.