Emergency medical technicians honoured for service

For A. Sharmila, an emergency medical technician (EMT) with the 108 ambulance network, the last six years has been about saving lives. More importantly, she has also helped to create a change in deterring a section of people from unsafe delivery practices.

“One of my earliest cases was a labour pain in Keeranur, The call was from an interior village on a hill. I saw a woman sitting on a pregnant woman in labour trying to push the baby out. She was bleeding profusely. We took her in the ambulance and she delivered her baby onboard,” she said.

With the mother and child hospitalised safely, Ms. Sharmila learned that this was way the villagers have been delivering babies for years. She went on to visit the village around 10 to 12 times for demonstrating safe practices.

“Such a situation prevailed prior to 2008. We cater for many pregnant women,” said Ms. Sharmila, who has helped 81 mothers deliver their babies on board the ambulance, she added.

Ms. Sharmila is now with thaanipadi ambulance in Tiruvannamalai.

Thursday was the day to recognise the efforts put in by EMTs like her as GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI), which operates the ambulances, celebrated the National EMT Day.

Several male EMTs have also helped mothers deliver babies on board the ambulance. Like A. Charles, another EMT at Vaniyambadi, who has 11 ambulance deliveries to his credit. “In fact, my first case was delivering a baby with cord around the neck. I attended to another woman who had previous caesarean section but delivered the baby in the ambulance,” he said.

EMTs should never get angry or emotional when handling patients, E. Ramarajan, an EMT with Avoor Primary Health Centre ambulance, Tiruvannamalai, stressed.

“A year ago, I attended to two persons aged 24 and 25 involved in a road accident. Both suffered head injury and fractures. We rushed them to the Government Hospital, Tiruvannamalai, and then to another centre. Recently, they called us and said they were doing well,” he said.

Six EMTs – three each from Vellore and Tiruvannamalai – received the Best EMT Award on the occasion. There are 41 ambulances in Vellore and 28 in Tiruvannamalai, with both districts accounting for nearly 200 EMTs.

Handing over the awards, A. Kennedy, district project coordinator, Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project, Vellore, said the EMTs played a pivotal role in saving lives as they bring the patients to hospitals on time.

“This golden hour is important as doctors, however experienced, will be able to save lives if patients are brought on time,” he said. He also asked the EMTs to take care of their safety and asked the district officers to conduct annual medical check-up for them.

R. J. Shriraman, district manager of GVK EMRI, Vellore and Tiruvannamalai, said the best EMTs were selected based on certain parameters such as highest number of life saving cases and those who secured above 85 per cent in the exam held in the refresher training.

Jayageetha, chief medical officer of Government Pentland Hospital, and Krishna Kumar, head of Finance, GVK EMRI, Chennai, spoke.

VK Emergency Management and Research Institute celebrates the National EMT Day

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by Staff Reporter / Vellore – April 03rd, 2015