Trauma Secretariat launches emergency response demonstration

COLOMBO: The Colombo Fire Brigade in co-operation with the Colombo Municipal Council provided a mock demonstration of emergency response, rescue, treatment, and transport for casualties resulting from a 'Head-on' road traffic accident at Town Hall on February 9.

Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva launched the Trauma secretariat to reduce incidence, disability, and death related to trauma, the number one cause of hospital admission.

Trauma Management requires a partnership between citizens, pre-hospital care, and hospital care.

Citizens must recognise emergencies and call for trained medical help. Pre-hospital care provided at traumatic emergencies by qualified professionals is essential for patients suffering from fractures, spinal injuries, and bleeding.

In Colombo, citizens can dial "1-1-0", 24 hours-a-day toll-free for a stocked ambulance with well trained, qualified personnel.

This simulation provided real-life experience as members of the Fire Brigade, Medi-Calls, and community based medical responders from Sarvodaya, an intensive 140 hour Emergency Medical Technician training course conducted by Northwest Medical Teams International.

This course utilised the curriculum adopted by the Trauma System Development Committee and followed the same international standards for pre-hospital emergency care from Australia, UK, USA and the World Health Organisation's trauma care guidelines.

This casualty simulation marked an important milestone. After the training classes ending on February 14, the first 100 EMT's in Sri Lanka will be trained to the international standards in pre-hospital trauma care.

As the pre-hospital system continues to develop in conjunction with the national trauma system, citizens should be reassured that trained professionals are ready to provide internationally recognised emergency treatment from the site of the emergency continuing through their hospital treatment and recovery.