Sakra World Hospital and Rotary Bengaluru IT Corridor introduces motorcycle-based First-Responder Service

• Blueprint planned for scaling in 2 years to 1000+ first-responder with other Rotary Clubs and hospitals in Bengaluru

The Rotary Club of Bengaluru IT Corridor (RBITC) and Sakra World Hospitals has announced the introduction of a motorcycle-based First-Responder Service. The service will be piloted in the Outer Ring Road area for 90 days, starting with Bengaluru Midnight Marathon on Dec 16 2017. The details of the plan, learnings and a scalable blueprint will subsequently be released to other Rotary Clubs and Hospitals to expand the service to the entire city of Bengaluru. The goal is to expand this service to the entire city of Bengaluru so that any medical emergency can be addressed within 5-7 minutes of it being received.

The continuous increase in traffic in Bengaluru has resulted in a significant increase in accidents and accident-related injuries and fatalities. In many cases, emergency medical care is not easily accessible, especially to trauma, heart-attack and stroke victims due to the inability of the ambulances to reach the patients on time. Added to this, there is a density and shortage of ambulances. With a goal of addressing these two problems, the Rotary Club of Bengaluru IT Corridor and Sakra World Hospitals have been working for more than two years to conceive a solution that address the issues. Some of the funds raised by Bengaluru Midnight Marathon 2017 will be used for sponsoring the Bike Ambulances along with other social service projects such as adoption of government schools, development of villages, providing solar lighting for schools and orphanages and providing portable water in villages.

Commenting on the Bike ambulance service, Dr. Sathish Rudrappa, Director, Neurosciences, Sakra World Hospitals said, “During a medical emergency, every second counts and any delays can lead to irreversible damage to patients or even death. But medical help is increasingly taking more time to reach the needy. The main reasons being traffic, limited no. of ambulances and lack of a centralized ambulance service etc. Also, in many cases, more than moving a patient to the hospital, what is more critical is to give focused medical treatment very quickly. Therefore the idea was to have a trained person reach the patient fast with medical supplies and administer to their needs, before an ambulance reaches. This partnership with Rotary Club of Bengaluru IT Corridor (RBITC) has helped us create a scalable model that has the potential to significantly reduce the response time to several medical emergencies.”

Talking about the association with Sakra World Hospitals, Sanjay Swamy, President, Rotary Club of Bengaluru IT Corridor said, “The idea was triggered from a dialogue in a movie on how pizza comes in 30mins but an ambulance takes forever. The reason is that the accessibility of a two-wheeler is unmatched in an environment of growing traffic congestion. Faster emergency care is the need of the hour and it makes RBITC extremely proud that through our platform, we are able to take the first step. I am happy that Rotary has the opportunity to be associated with such a novel pilot project and thank Sakra World Hospital for partnering with us on this important mission. I would also like to acknowledge TVS Motors for offering us the motorcycles at a discounted price.”

Asha Prasannakumar, District Governor, RI-D 3190, said “I applaud the Rotary IT Corridor and Sakra World Hospitals to have taken this important initiative. Every one of us knows of someone who was seriously maimed or perished due to delayed medical attention – this is a problem that is close to all our hearts. – I am eagerly looking forward to expanding this service across the 100+ clubs in our Rotary District, as well as sharing our experiences across the country.”

The emergency first responder medical service can be availed by dialling the helpline number- 080-4692-4962. On dialling the number, First-Responders with teams of paramedics will provide emergency care. While the immediate focus will be trauma-care, heart-attack and stroke victims, the scope of treatment can be increased to other medical emergencies. The other likely benefits of FRVs include low operation and maintenance cost, increased chances of survival, and stabilizing of accident victim before an ambulance reaches the spot.