(A285) Planning and Organization of Emergency Medical Services in Mumbai

Abstract

In the past two decades, Mumbai has witnessed several mass-casualty incidents. Somehow, it seems that the city has missed some important lessons from these events. Mumbai has no formal structure for emergency medical services (EMS). Although EMS may seem to be a much-desired necessity, scholars have raised questions on the practicality and feasibility of having such a system in Mumbai. Factors such as population congestion, traffic volume, and lack of coordination among existing hospitals, the success of such a system in a city like Mumbai is jeopardized. In spite of having similar challenges in some other regions of the country, EMS systems (e.g., in Gujarat) have achieved substantial success. This paper deals with the planning and organization of EMS in Mumbai. It evaluates the performances of the existing EMS systems in other Indian cities. The paper also discusses the advantages of having such a system, particularly during the events such as disasters, accidents, acts of terrorism, etc. The paper also discusses the possible consequences of the absence of EMS, such as delayed ambulance dispatch, improper distribution of patients, overcrowding at certain hospitals thereby leading to poor triage, and several similar problems that can worsen a crisis. It studies the potential challenges for the establishment of such a system in Mumbai, and suggests a model for an effective EMS system for the city.