Saving Lives Together! Karnataka's 'Rastha' Initiative To Train Responders & People To Help Road Accident Victims

In collaboration with the health and family welfare department, the Rajiv Gandhi University's 'Jeeva Raksha Trust,' launched a promising initiative on March 9, named 'Rastha' (Rapid Response, Assessment, Stabilisation and Safe Transport in Highway Accidents).

The initiative would train trauma responders like police, ambulance drivers, and interested citizens, with the aim of saving thousands of lives that would otherwise be lost in road accidents. Under the project, the ministry of road transport and highways have identified 26 accident hotspots in nine districts across Karnataka.

Reaching Out To Victims

Medical professionals have often noted that in many cases, road accident victims lose their life due to excessive bleeding before reaching a hospital or because their airway is blocked. If the appropriate help is extended to the victim in the Golden Hour (the first few crucial hours following the accident), there are higher chances of saving the victim's life. Speaking about the need to tend to the patients rightly, programme director of Jeeva Raksha Trust, Dr Yogesh B said that people need training on how to handle the head and neck of a victim after an accident.

Building on this medical understanding, training under the Rastha initiative would focus on training individuals on arresting bleeding. People who would be trained in handling polytrauma victims include police officials, fire safety personnel, ambulance drivers, hospital staff, and people living within a three-kilometre radius of the accident hotspots. Dr Yogesh conveys that taking a few simple steps is all that is required to save several lives involved in accidents every day.

Treating Polytrauma Victims

Through the 'Rastha' initiative, each identified hotspot will have 160 skilled responders and 60 trained hospital staff. Additionally, there would also be targeted staff training sessions imparted to two government-affiliated trauma centres to improve their skills in managing complex polytrauma victims. Among the hotspots identified include those listed by the ministry in 2022, such as districts of Mandya, Mysuru, Hubli-Dharwad, Tumakuru, Davangere, Belagavi, Kalaburagi, and Mangaluru.

A report by the New Indian Express quoted Health Commissioner Randeep D saying, "Rastha will help supplement the efforts of our health department in extending free medical treatment in empanelled hospitals for the victims of road accidents." Immediately after an accident, nearby hospitals will be alerted so that they can keep the necessary facilities ready to receive and treat the victim. In Karnataka, nearly 4,000 lives are claimed every year in road accidents, says the principal secretary of health department, T K Anil Kumar. Randeep believes that with such timely interventions, such losses can be prevented, and several precious lives can be saved in road accidents.

Also Read: Punjab To Launch Free Medical Care Scheme For Road Accident Victims: Know More