NEW DELHI: Since the right of citizens to trauma care is an integral part of the right to life, the Supreme Court has asked all states and union territories to operate a single helpline number ‘112’ within three months for emergency responses and establish an effective grievance redressal system.
A bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and AS Chandorkar also directed the states to submit periodic compliance reports by organizing monthly meetings and uploading the minutes on the respective portals.
The court passed the order on Tuesday on a petition filed by Savelife Foundation which raised the need to recognize trauma care as a matter of right in the Indian common law system.
The Supreme Court said that when someone has an accident or any similar incident that requires urgent trauma care, they are usually shocked, confused, and feeling helpless as they have to hope that those around them will somehow help them get the care they need.
She added: “In such a situation, every minute spent without medical intervention or urgent care significantly narrows the scope of survival. And speed, like medicine in the literal sense of the word.”
Referring to different stages of care after such an incident, the council said a robust trauma care mechanism must take a “bottom-up approach” that takes into account various stakeholders.
It is commonly said that, no matter how strong the desire to be a Good Samaritan, bystanders hesitate, suffering from reactionary paralysis, sometimes out of fear of legal action, or of being summoned to the police station as a witness, and sometimes out of the psychological weight of the situation itself.
“To address these barriers, what is required is systematic intervention, creation of a unified framework for trauma care, building public awareness, standardization of first aid skills and appropriate valid laws, as the right of citizens to trauma care is an integral part of the right to life enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution of India,” the bench said.
It allowed the Center to issue a medical rescue protocol for trauma cases within three months, and directed all states and union territories to activate it within three months thereof.
“All States/Union Territories must ensure full compliance with Automated Industry Standards 125 in all registered ambulances; mandate GPS/vehicle location tracking device and real-time integration with 112 Helpline; and conduct periodic structured audits with submission of compliance reports to designated authority at Union level, within three months,” it said.
The authority has asked the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to issue guidelines specifying the format of data required for trauma registration within eight weeks.
All states/union territories will establish state trauma registries in accordance, covering all medical facilities and linking them to the harmonized trauma registry within four months, she said.
Besides passing other interim directions, the court directed the Centre, states and union territories to undertake sustained, structured and multilingual information campaigns covering Helpline 112, Protection of Good Samaritan under Section 134A of the Motor Vehicles Act and Grievance Redressal Scheme, Cashless Redressal Scheme with specific obligations and compliance reports within a month.
“In addition to the above, all States and Union Territories which are yet to adopt the Cashless Treatment Scheme for Road Accident Victims, 2025 – Prime Minister Rahat, shall take necessary steps for full operationalization of the said schemes within a period of three months…”, it listed the order after four months.
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