In a significant push to enhance emergency medical response for road accident victims, the Uttar Pradesh government is upgrading healthcare infrastructure across the state.

Emergency wards in all district hospitals are being modernized to ensure that patients receive life-saving treatment during the critical “golden hour,” officials have disclosed.

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Key trauma centers in government medical colleges—including those in Kanpur, Prayagraj, Meerut, and Gorakhpur—are being upgraded from Level-2 to Level-1 facilities, ensuring faster and more effective care. Additionally, King George’s Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow is expanding its Level-1 trauma center by adding 500 extra beds, increasing its capacity from 460 to 960 beds.

To further enhance emergency response, specialized skill development centers are being established under the National Emergency Life Support (NELS) program at BHU Varanasi and Gorakhpur Medical College, with new centers planned in Kanpur, Agra, Meerut, Jhansi, and Prayagraj.

In collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and AIIMS Delhi, over 300 doctors and paramedical staff have completed a specialized five-day training program in emergency care, focusing on providing critical treatment within the golden hour. Additionally, 2,916 ‘Aapda Mitras’ have been trained as first responders to provide immediate first aid to accident victims.

The State Road Safety Council is also upgrading emergency wards in government medical colleges, reducing dependency on higher-level referrals. To support this initiative, new specialist positions have been created for trauma doctors, orthopedic experts, general surgeons, and emergency medical officers.

Furthermore, each medical college’s emergency wing is being equipped with advanced diagnostic facilities, including CT scans, X-rays, and ultrasound machines. A budget of Rs 300 crore has been allocated for the fiscal year 2024-25 to ensure that accident victims receive proper treatment within the crucial golden hour.

Strengthening the state’s emergency response system, the response time of 108 ambulance services has been reduced from 15 minutes to just 8 minutes and 23 seconds. This improvement is being achieved through network expansion, optimized deployment, and faster call response management.

In a significant step toward road safety, the State Road Safety Council has issued directives to ensure that only physically fit drivers operate state transport buses.

As part of this initiative, health checkups for 18,230 bus drivers were conducted based on health cards, revealing that 9.44 per cent (1,721 drivers) were medically unfit. These drivers have been temporarily removed from duty until they meet the necessary health standards.