Comparative Study of EMS Access Number in the Developed and Developing Countries and Feasibility to Have a Common Emergency Access Number for India Rishipathak Parag1, Yeravdekar Rajiv2, Rajhans Prasad3 1Deputy Director, Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, India 2Director, Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, India 3Consultant in EMS, Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, India Online published on 5 July, 2018. Abstract Introduction The Emergency Access Numbers that are operational in various nationally and learn from the other Emergency Access Numbers operational in other countries. To study EMS access number in the developed and developing countries. To study feasibility of having common Emergency access number for India. Materials and Method The present study focuses on Emergency Access Number in select countries of the world based on questionnaire circulated and responses obtained. This study is based on the responses obtained from EMS stakeholders working in EMS field in India and various parts of the World. Result Developing countries except Bangladesh and Nepal from the study have proper emergency systems in place with universal emergency telephone number to contact in case of emergency, whereas there is no single system or number, which could play a major role in managing emergency medical services across India. Conclusion In spite of the development in the healthcare sector over the past decade India is yet to create a single comprehensive EMS that can be accessed throughout the country. Only fourteen states have managed to launch state wide EMS, as on today. One-Naught-Eight (108) is a free telephone number for emergency services to call in these states. In other states of the country emergency services can be called by dialing Police -100, Fire – 101, Ambulance – 102. In addition, hospitals in the country provide different telephone numbers for ambulance services. A person in distress cannot be expected to remember such specific phone numbers during an emergency. Thus access to emergencies becomes difficult. The lack of a common emergency number across the country is a major hurdle in creating a reliable emergency service. Thus to provide good Emergency Medical Services & prevent needless death or disability & help victims in case of an emergency, India should have common Emergency Access Number Across the country. Top Keywords Emergency Access Number, Emergency Medical Services. Top |