Mysore/Mysuru: As part of 32nd National Road Safety Month, Mysuru City Traffic Police and Columbia Asia Hospital, Mysuru, conducted a Basic Life Support (BLS) and First-Aid training programme for City Traffic Police at the training hall of K.R. Police Station on Feb. 4 and Feb. 5. 

In all, 218 Police personnel received hands-on training on life-saving techniques for medical emergencies during road accidents.

Speaking about the training, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) S.N. Sandesh Kumar said, “The increasing road accidents are a worrying factor and many lives are lost. By  training our Police personnel with basic life saving techniques, we hope to bring down the fatality rate. We are happy to be a part of the informative training session and we will work towards a better and safer Mysuru.” 

Dr. Gautam Das, General Manager, Columbia Asia Hospital, Mysuru said, “During emergencies, time lost in waiting for medical help can worsen the situation. When proper first-aid is administered, chances for survival of accident victim increases.

There is a dire need for immediate assessment to be initiated by the Police personnel and this programme will help them understand the importance of golden hour and serve the city better. In this aspect, Columbia Asia Hospital has also launched “Save the number Save lives” campaign, he added.

Dr. Upendra Shenoy, Chief of Medical Services, Columbia Asia Hospital, Mysuru said, “For accident victims, it is necessary to ensure they are breathing normally and blood circulation is happening till they reach the hospital. 

BLS and first-aid training can help in saving lives. In cases like sudden cardiac arrest, quick CPR initiation on the patient increases the chances of survival greatly. The patient can then be taken to the hospital for further treatment. If such programmes are conducted on a large scale, eventually we will be able to save more lives, he noted.

A mannequin was used in the training session on which the Police personnel were trained. 

The sessions by Emergency Medicine experts included techniques of providing first-aid, in the event of fractures, bleeding, cardiac arrest and stroke. 

On completion of the training, Basic Life Support (BLS) certificates were provided to all the participants.