Helpline 108 addresses the need for a first response system in the case of road traffic accidents and medical emergencies, where the “Golden Hour” and "Platinum Ten" minutes are the periods of time in which the chances of saving the victims life are at the highest. Currently, the systems established in pre-hospital care are lacking, the time taken by the ambulance to reach the scene of injury is long and uncertain, people lack knowledge of first aid training and basic life support. Often, secondary trauma is caused by improper transport systems to the nearest hospital.
An integral part of this is to create a functional, visible first aid kit with clear instructions, positioned in a safe space where it can be of immediate access to the public in case of an accident. After exploring various intervention possibilities, the solution arrived at here is to equip the traffic police, who patrol on Hoysala vehicles and Cheetah bikes, with first aid kits and training in basic life support. This is supported by a Helpline 108 app.
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In order for the proposed solution to work, the police will have to work in unison with the 108 helpline service, which is a 24x7 emergency service for medical, police and fire emergencies available in 22 states (including Karnataka). The solution proposes the creation of a Helpline 108 app to supplement the existing helpline service. The expanded service will integrate the functions of the already existing personal safety Suraksha app service of the Bengaluru City Police- namely, alerting the nearest stationed Hoysala/ Cheetah vehicle, and sending an SOS alert to emergency contacts. The police officers would be trained and equipped with a first aid kit to provide immediate assistance before the ambulance arrives. The benefits of such a system would be:
1. Immediate response from trained and equipped officials whose vested interests lie in performing duty to the public (as opposed to potentially unaware bystanders and the general public)
2. Piggybacking on the already existing response system, 24x7 availability of access, and locational proximity of the police in the event of a road traffic accident
3. Location of the accident is automatically detected through GPS
4. Police, emergency contacts, and ambulance are all alerted through a single platform
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