Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highway Secretary Mr Vijay Chhibber has announced that the First Aid training and learning of life saving techniques will become mandatory for Heavy Commercial Vehicle Drivers including Bus and Trucks from July, 2016 to get a Driving License (DL) or while getting it renewed in India. The nationwide programme shall impart First aid and life saving techniques training to drivers of Commercial Motor Vehicle drivers to make them become first response point and trauma care providers for road accident victims.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in association with the International Road Federation,(IRF) a global body working for safer roads worldwide and Automobile Association of Upper India (AAUI) are jointly organizing this heavy vehicle driver training programme starting from Delhi and NCR Drivers. The main intention of First Aid techniques will be to teach drivers to rescue and transfer victims. The event was honoured with the presence of dignitaries including Mr Jagjyoti Jain Senior Vice President, Automobile Association of Upper India, Dr M C Mishra , Director AIIMS, Delhi and Mr N.K.Sinha, President, IRF, India chapter and officials from MoRTH and NHAI.
Speaking more on the occasion, Mr Chhibber, Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) said, “During the programme, 10,000 drivers of heavy vehicles will be trained initially in first aid, basic life support and rescue systems. The training will include applying basic measures to clear victim’s airway and control bleeding, clearing any obstructions and draining any fluid from victims mouth, calling emergency services, performing first aid for the victim, safe handling and shifting techniques to avoid further injury to the victim till the emergency medical services reach. Skills to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) through chest compressions, maintaining breathing, relieving choking at the accident site and dealing with different kind of bleeding
Adding further he said, “The training will be imparted by trained doctors of the trauma care hospital with use of videos, practice demos, presentations and other such mechanisms to impart the skills. Case scenarios would be also discussed and critical cases simulated to practice and acquire lifesaving skills hands on using models would be demonstrated. The programme will be later taken to other states and after seeing the success ,first aid training for commercial vehicle drivers would likely be made mandatory for obtaining or renewing a license in July 1, 2016 .This will help reduce fatalities resulting from traffic fatalities in the country as India accounts for highest number of Fatal accidents in the world with over 141,000 fatalities last year itself.”
Commenting further, Mr K K Kapila, Chairman, Geneva based International Road Federation (IRF) said, “Untrained people are often frightened to touch casualties - but early intervention can save lives or decrease the impact of injuries, leading to quicker recovery or lesser injuries for the victims.The commercial vehicle drivers will be trained with valuable skills that can help in road crashes, and they are also useful in other accident situations.”
