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Uttar Pradesh is considering the establishment of Emergency Stabilisation Centres (ESCs) at 50-kilometer intervals along highways, aiming to provide crucial medical care to road accident victims within the first crucial ‘golden hour’ following a traumatic injury. This initiative seeks to stabilize victims’ conditions before transferring them to the nearest hospital for further treatment.
Transport department officials disclosed plans to present a formal proposal for the ESCs during the upcoming State Road Safety Council meeting, where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to be briefed. Despite earlier requests to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for similar centers on highways under their jurisdiction, a senior transport official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, mentioned NHAI’s reluctance.
The proposal will be discussed at the State Road Safety Council’s meeting, involving relevant departments, including NHAI, to seek the Chief Minister’s directive on a comprehensive policy for establishing stabilisation centres on national highways, expressways, and state highways.
The official highlighted Tamil Nadu’s success in implementing ESCs on some of its highways. Uttar Pradesh, despite reporting fewer road accidents than many states, unfortunately maintains the highest number of road accident deaths in the country, as per a recent report from the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
In 2022, UP recorded 22,595 road accident deaths, ranking first in the country, but fourth in the number of accidents (41,746) after Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and Kerala. The official attributed UP’s high fatality rate to the lack of prompt treatment during the golden hour.
To address this issue, the proposed ESCs would be strategically positioned every 50 km on highways, staffed with paramedics and having tie-ups with doctors within a 5-6 km radius. This setup aims to provide emergency medical care within the critical first hour, significantly increasing the chances of saving lives. Once stabilized, victims can be referred to the nearest district or other hospitals for further treatment.
Uttar Pradesh, with the unfortunate distinction of ranking first in highway accident deaths between 2019 and 2022, recorded 8,479 deaths in 14,990 accidents on highways in 2022, with 6,011 fatalities on national highways alone.
