Launch of GATES 102 for trauma victims

panaji: in a state-wide effort to expressly move accident victims to hospitals so that medical aid may be rendered to them in that critical post-accident 1 hour, the government will launch the gates 102 in goa on monday. goa accident trauma emergency services (gates 102) will be launched by the chief minister, mr manohar parrikar, at 9.30 a.m. tomorrow. this was announced by the health minister, dr suresh amonkar, at a press conference held at the secretariat today. also present were dr shekhar salkar, chairman of the hospital visiting committee for gmc and dr shanti pamnani, dean of gmc. dr amonkar revealed that initially 6 ambulances (trauma units) will be stationed at various points in the state. in case of a serious accident anywhere in the state, the number 102 may be dialled. this will connect the caller to a special cell in the goa medical college, and the operator will mobilise the nearest ambulance to the accident site to quickly render first aid and move the patient to the nearest hospital. these 6 ambulances (trauma units) will be stationed at the fire-stations of pernem, bicholim, ponda, sanvordem and at police stations at verna and bali. each unit will be manned by 2 para-medics who have received 3 weeks of necessary training. dr amonkar said the units are well equiped with all the necessary medical equipment like oxygen cylinders, splints etc. the trauma unit operators will also have mobile phones. dr amonkar warned against making crank calls on the number 102, as it has a caller-identification facility. he also said that people should not call 102 for simple accidents but only in emergencies and where threat to life is felt. though initially the trauma units will cater exclusively to trauma (accident) cases, later they may be used for other medical emergencies like heart attacks etc., dr amonkar said. he informed that a call on 102 will set into motion a chain of well co-ordinated action involving the trauma unit on site, nurses and doctors at the gmc, bambolim, who will be forewarned by the trauma operators in advance regarding the nature of the case. the gates 201 team of doctors at the gmc will include the full range of specialists and except for the ct scan, most procedures will be done at the same bed, dr amonkar said. he informed that gates 201 will cost the government rs 60 lakh annually and that 83 staff have been recruited for this service. these include 10 staff nurses, 40 trauma operators, 14 doctors, 3 telephone operators and 17 class iv staff. dr shekhar salkar, said that in goa last year, 288 people died in road accidents, most of which were normal, healthy people. he said that for every death, at least 6 people are seriously injured. he said that the thrust of gates 102 is on speed since the 1-hour period immediately after the accident, referred to as the “golden hour�is critical for the survival of the patient. similar services are already functional in some parts of the country, but thier operations are limited to some districts only. goa will be the first state to have coverage for the entire state, dr salkar said. elaborating further on gates 102, dr pamnani said that the trauma unit, sporting a bright yellow streak with gates 102 emblazoned on it, will become a byline for help for accident victims in goa.