AVMC recently hosted a rigorous five-day training program aimed at equipping emergency care physicians with essential skills to handle a wide range of medical emergencies effectively known as the JeevaRaksha Comprehensive-Emergency Care and Life Support (C-ECLS) initiative. The program focused on hands-on training in various modules, including cardiac and respiratory emergencies, trauma, burns, poisoning, obstetric, pediatric emergencies, and neonatal resuscitation. Accredited by Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), Karnataka, and supported by the Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Utah, US, this program was inaugurated by Dr Rakesh Sehgal, Dean, AVMC, with 32 instructors undergoing training.
This initiative addressed the pressing issue of unintentional injuries, trauma, cardiovascular, respiratory, obstetric events, and poisoning, which collectively accounted for more than 50% of deaths in India. Often, these emergencies occurred in areas far from tertiary care hospitals, making doctors in private clinics, Primary Health Centers, and small private hospitals the first responders. Despite improvements in legislation and ambulance services, access to emergency healthcare remained inadequate, and suboptimal care persisted, leading to high mortality rates, morbidity, and public outrage. Dr Mahalakshmi VN, Dean (Health Professions Education), AVMC underscored the importance of timely emergency medical care during the critical ‘platinum minutes’ and the ‘golden hour’ to save lives and enhance recovery. This program also aligned with the National Medical Commission’s mandate to train all medical graduates in emergency medical care, positioning AVMC as a pioneer in the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry region, thanks to its partnership with the JeevaRaksha Trust.
