World Bank-funded GVK-EMRI training improves emergency management services

SHILLONG: A World Bank funded training project for Emergency Room Technical Staff (ERTS) and Emergency Maintenance Technical Staff (EMTS) organized by GVK-EMRI has helped reduce the offload time from 108 ambulance to the hospital emergency department from 15 minutes plus to 10 minutes or below. This was shared at a dissemination meeting at Hotel Polo Towers on Friday.
Under the ‘Development Marketplace’ the World Bank funds innovations by private organizations which are supported by the Government. The training programme targeted 97 ERTS and EMTS from Meghalaya, Assam and Mizoram. Sharing the results and impact of the programme Dr Tiameren Jamir, Associate Partner and Project Co-ordinator, GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute, said the training has helped build the capacities of emergency room technicians in district hospitals, CHCs, PHCs and Sub-Centres in the three states.
“When a patient brought to a hospital in a state of emergency, the way he/she is handled could make the difference between life and death. So much depends on the clinical and technical competence of the emergency room staff. This capacity building is what the project has aimed at and the impact is visible, “Dr Jamir informed the gathering.
The 90 days training programme has completed the training of a special cadre of technicians to follow a set of emergency protocols by developing a curriculum for the course. This curriculum was prepared with the help of Martin Luther Christian University’s Allied Health Department, Dr Jamir informed.
He added that often there are delays in clinical handover process, delays in initiation of definite care intervention, sub-optimal patient assessment or delay in advanced care stabilization which could cost a patient’s life. The training included didactic simulation training which involved hospital rotation of 43 days and ambulance rotation of two days.
Sharing her post training experience, staff nurse Elvalyne Shangdiar from Mawsynram CHC said she now feels confident about handling emergency cases and shared how she and her team recently handled a motor accident trauma case involving a young girl successfully until the doctor took over.
World Bank representative, Rahul Barkataki who was present at the meeting said India is now a hub for innovations and the Bank is keen to fund those innovations to the private sector under the Development Marketplace programme as a multi-lateral agency.
“The PPP model today is seen as People-Public-Private model which looks at providing access to basic services and to achieve scale in that intervention though government involvement. These innovations can be replicated in other countries as well,” Barkataki said.
He informed that the World Bank is funding three health projects in the North East, one for eye care, a low cost hospital in collaboration with GNRC Guwahati and an education project in Meghalaya.
Others who spoke at the function included Toki Blah, president ICARE and Patricia Mukhim, Editor, The Shillong Times.