Supreme Court Mandates National Trauma Care Overhaul

The Supreme Court has issued a critical directive for a uniform trauma care policy to be implemented across India within three months. This sweeping order mandates states and Union Territories to adopt a common helpline for trauma victims, ensure protection for Good Samaritans, and establish a comprehensive medical rescue protocol.

The bench emphasized that the right to trauma care is integral to the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution. The court’s intervention stems from a PIL highlighting trauma as a major cause of death, with a significant portion attributed to road accidents. The goal is to build public awareness and standardize first-aid skills.

Key mandates include integrating emergency services under the universal access number '112' and establishing functional Good Samaritan Grievance Redressal Systems. The Union government is tasked with issuing a medical rescue protocol, which states must operationalize. All registered ambulances will require mandatory GPS and VLTD fitment, integrated with helpline 112.

Furthermore, emergency medical training curricula must be integrated within three months. Cashless treatment schemes, like the PM-RAHAT scheme, are to be operationalized nationwide within eight weeks. The court also ordered the creation of a Trauma Registry and the grading of hospitals to ensure efficient and effective trauma care delivery.