First Responders reacting instantly during a medical emergency may become reality in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, September 27, 2017: Make the way for ambulances, but who cares? Even if you care, it will be a wonder if it cruises through the brutal urban traffic.

Emergencies can occur anytime and anywhere. And every second counts in such situations. More lives can be saved if proper care is provided and shifted patients in time, in some cases within “the golden hour”.

The ever-increasing road traffic is creating a nightmare for victims waiting to be taken to hospitals in ambulances. That results in ‘brought dead’ case. The time lapse in shifting the patient from one place to another due to traffic is killing more people than the diseases or ailments that they are suffering from.

Can we do something about it? Or should we ignore it? TEDxHyderabad is planning some very concrete actions, part of which are already under execution. Speaking at the just concluded TEDxHyderabad 2017, Viiveck Verma, Co-Organizer of TEDxHyderabad, highlighted various community engagement activities taken up by TEDxHyderabad community through a NGO SAHE (Society for Advancement of Human Education)

Our aim with TEDxHyderabad is not just to come up with brilliant ideas, but to implement those ideas that are most feasible, said Viiveck in his address.

He spoke about the “100KFirstResponse” initiative. Under this initiative, we will train and build a network of 100K First Responders to make the city an Emergency Friendly City. Hyderabad will be the first city in India to develop a pool of First Responder volunteers to handle emergency situations, even before the ambulance arrives informed Viiveck Verma. In India, every year 7.2 Lakh Cardiac Arrests occur. Only 1% of the victims survive. With citizen involvement, the survival rates can be improved up to 40%.

The idea is to connect all the First Responders of the city through a common App. In any medical emergency where an ambulance would take an average of 20-24 minutes due traffic, a First Responder who is trained for basic First Response, will reach the victim/patient in approximately 3-5 minutes. This First Responder will provide first-aid and assist the patient when the ambulance arrives, saving critical minutes that could very well be a matter of life and death. We’re currently in the training phase of this initiative and expect to go live in near future.

“The next phase of this initiative will mark an introduction of two-wheeler ambulances that can arrive at the scene of the emergency a lot quicker than an actual ambulance van/bus. The model of this two wheeler ambulance service will be on the lines of United Hatzalah from Israel. We are already in talks with the United Hatzala group who have implemented this initiative in many countries world-wide and we are seeking funds/support from the Government and other private organizations, to be able to bring in two-wheeler ambulances to Hyderabad”, Viiveck added

TEDx Hyderabad is not merely an event. We do many community engagement activities, he informed.

Speaking further, Viiveck shared five community engagement activities taken up by them. He highlighted few initiatives which include: TEDxHyderabadSalon event on “Civic Responsibility” in a moving bus which subsequently became a talk point in the TEDx movement. He also talked about "Live Lakes", and others.