Visakhapatnam :

King George Hospital (KGH) is soon going to start an emergency medicine department  (EMD), the first among the government hospitals in the state. It would help bring down mortality in trauma and accident cases by speeding up treatment .

In this regard, a meeting was also held in KGH-AMC this week. Plans are on to house EMD in the new casualty building, which is nearing completion. It’s likely to start functioning in July or August.

The EMD would have different specialists working together under one roof headed by a general physician or intensivist. It should also have an anaesthetist, orthopaedic doctor, a neurosurgeon, a general surgeon, a plastic surgeon, pulmonary medicine specialist and cardio-thorasic surgeon acting as one unit.

They would be all trained in advanced life support (ALS). There would also be ALS trained personnel and paramedics to stabilise the patients on the spot of accident before taking the patient to the nearest hospital. This unit of specialists can take maximum care in minimum time lapse so as to prevent deaths due to loss of time.

Usually victims of poisoning, drowning, animal and reptile bites, burns, road accidents, heart attacks, gunshots or weapon wounds, victims of natural calamities all come under emergency and would be treated in the EMD, say doctors.

For the upcoming EMD, doctors from Amcana (Andhra Medical College Alumni of North America) would also come forward to help with software and technical support by helping to set up an electronic medical records system and by training doctors, medical officers, nurses and paramedics on EMD protocols. They can also help with the equipment as and when required, pointed out AMC principal Dr P V Sudhakar.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Visakhapatnam News / by Sulogna Mehta / TNN / May 03rd, 2017