On average, 13 die in road accidents in Punjab every day, gaps in emergency care take blame | Chandigarh News

Chandigarh: Even as Punjab continues to record a high number of road fatalities, averaging 13 deaths every day, there are serious gaps in emergency medical response, pre-hospital care, and trauma management infrastructure, particularly during the critical “golden hour” following a road crash.Road accidents claimed 4,829 lives in Punjab in 2023, underscoring the persistent risks on the state’s highways. Punjab has remained in the middle rung nationally in terms of total accidents, but its fatality figures continue to be a cause for concern. The state was ranked 18th in overall road accidents in 2023, a better performance from 17th in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Deaths due to road accidents were 4,756 in 2022, 4,589 in 2021, 3,898 in 2020, and 4,525 in 2019.Data for 2023 showed that Punjab reported 20.4 accidents per lakh population and 15.7 road accident deaths per lakh population. Of the 4,829 fatalities recorded during the year, 1,895 occurred on national highways, almost the same as in 2022, when 1,881 deaths were reported on national highways, highlighting the continued vulnerability of high-speed corridors.Emergency response capacity remains a major challenge. At present, the average ambulance response time is about 19 minutes in rural areas and 15 minutes in urban areas, durations considered inadequate for timely life-saving intervention in severe trauma cases. As per Indian Public Health Standards norms, Punjab requires 60 advanced life support ambulances, calculated at one per five lakh population. However, the state currently has only 25 ALS ambulances, leaving a shortfall of 35 units.For basic life-support ambulances, Punjab has 331 vehicles, meeting the norm of one per one lakh population. However, around 50 of these ambulances have reached the end of their service life and require immediate replacement to ensure continuity and reliability of emergency services.Trauma care infrastructure also needs strengthening. Five designated trauma centres—Jalandhar (Level II) and Khanna, Pathankot, Fazilka, and Ferozepur (Level III)—require gap funding to become fully functional. These centres need enhanced diagnostic capability, surgical readiness, and supporting infrastructure to effectively manage serious road accident injuries.The issue was discussed in the recent meeting of the Punjab State Road Safety Council, where a series of measures were approved to bridge the identified gaps. It was decided to procure 35 ALS ambulances at an estimated cost of Rs 37,25,000 per unit, amounting to Rs 13.04 crore, and 50 BLS ambulances at Rs 24,58,000 per unit, involving an expenditure of Rs 12.29 crore. To strengthen trauma care, the council also approved the purchase of 11 fully automated analysers for rapid diagnostics at Rs 3,75,000 per unit (Rs 0.41 crore) and 100 surgical kits for emergency procedures at Rs 25,000 per unit (Rs 0.25 crore).Officials said the proposed augmentations are aimed at improving response times and treatment capacity during the golden hour, which is crucial for reducing preventable deaths on Punjab’s roads.