It is the onerous responsibility and a binding constitutional obligation of the government to protect the lives of citizens. Thus, the State is duty bound to provide comprehensive trauma care to avert preventable trauma-related deaths and disability. A recent interim order by the Supreme Court highlighted the above and directed the central and state governments to expedite action and ordered certain concrete recommendations.
It is a fact that compared to the scale of the problem, trauma care in the country is not only inadequate but is fragmented, and is marked by a lack of coordination. Due to the increasing number of people commuting, the rise in vehicular traffic, especially on expressways and access-controlled highways which enable high speed movement, the need for trauma care is only going to increase. The timely reminder by the apex court should nudge the authorities to step up efforts.
The bench has rightly identified some priority areas and ordered the governments to address them in a time-bound manner. The court has directed that the country-wide, unified, emergency response system with a single helpline number (112) for reporting all kinds of emergencies should be operationalised within three months in all states and union territories.
Incidentally, '112' is an internationally recognised number and India’s Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) has provided the panic button option in mobile phones to connect to 112. The Emergency Response Centres (ERCs) can be reached through email or the '112' mobile app.
A major problem in emergency response is the hesitation of bystanders to step in and help in the event of accidents. Their reluctance, which affects care and attention during the ‘golden hour’, is justifiable, as it is due to a real fear of getting embroiled in police proceedings and court appearances.
The Motor Vehicles Act was amended in 2019 to, among other things, provide statutory protection to good Samaritans lending help to accident victims. The apex court directed central and state governments to mount a sustained and structured awareness campaign regarding Helpline 112, the good Samaritan protection and the availability of cashless treatment for victims under the PM RAHAT scheme. The states which have not yet operationalised the scheme were told to do so within three months.
There are many ambulances plying in different parts of the country that do not comply with automotive industry standards. The court therefore directed state governments to ensure that all registered ambulances must fully adhere to AIS-125 standards which include essential medical equipment, vehicle design, and paramedic capabilities. Moreover, they must be equipped with GPS and Vehicle Location Tracking Devices (VLTD), besides being seamlessly integrated with the 112 emergency response system.
It may be recalled that in the Union Budget 2026–27, the government had announced a slew of initiatives to improve emergency healthcare services, including strengthening and increasing emergency and trauma care capacities by 50 per cent in District Hospitals by establishing Emergency & Trauma Care Centres. Capacity building and training of healthcare workforce, integration with National Trauma Registry and increased coordination and convergence of ambulance networks, healthcare facilities and government programmes such as cashless treatment are some other areas the government needs to do more.
The Supreme Court aptly underscored the importance of conducting periodic, structured audits and compliance reporting. While some progress is made in urban and semi-urban areas, distressing reports about preventable deaths continue to come from backward regions and remote places, pointing to poor coverage.