CHENNAI: The year 2005 was the turning point for emergency medical services in India. GVK EMRI (Emergency Management and Research Institute), a pioneer in emergency management services in India established an Emergency Response System that coordinates every emergency through a single toll-free number — 108. Today, the number is synonymous with the best-in-class emergency service and has been acknowledged as the most efficient, speedy, reliable and caring service provider in its category. 

CE caught up with Prabhu Doss who recently quit GVK EMRI — as head of communications — after working for 108 months. Doss played a key role in introducing emergency care centres, neonatal ambulances, first responder bikes and setting up of 104 and 14417 helpline service.

“After a brief stint as a sales officer in Nestle and regional manager in ICICI bank, I joined GVK EMRI in March 2010 and served there for nine years. When I joined, we had 385 ambulances and when I left in March this year, we had 936. Similarly, the staff rose from 2,000 to more than 5,200. In between was the hard work to strengthen, deepen and widen healthcare services of Tamil Nadu,” says Doss. 

Birth of neonatal ambulances

Recollecting the first game changer he was a part of, he says, “At least 15-20 lakh people throng to the Tiruvannamalai temple for the Mahadeepam festival and in case of a mishap or an emergency, driving an ambulance through the crowd is extremely difficult. So, we had to think beyond ambulance. We conceptualised temporary medical emergency stations in three places across the trekking route in December 2010. Another idea was born through this initiative.”

The team realised the importance of emergency care centres, which are intermediaries that help to revive and stabilise a person in a critical condition until he is admitted in a hospital. In 2011, when Doss was making a presentation to the government on this, the slide had a picture of an incubator placed in the centre. On being questioned, Doss convinced them that this would be helpful if a newborn was brought to the centre. “The then project director said neonatal ambulances must be integrated with 108. That was the birth of neonatal ambulances and today, we have 64 ambulances across the state. Tamil Nadu is a pioneering state in neonatal care,” the 44-year-old said.

Subsequently, an emergency care centre was established in Tambaram in 2011. 
The state now has four centres including the ones at Injambakkam in Chennai, Mahabalipuram and Padianallur. Twelve more centres are in the pipeline.

Saving 7,500 lives

The annual Sabarimala trips reported at least 50 deaths due to cardiac arrest every year, as the devotees did not take proper precautionary measures before trekking. Also, 30 per cent of the total pilgrims were from Tamil Nadu. The Kerala government called in GVK EMRI for help. “In 2013, we simply leveraged on technology and set up a temporary emergency centre on the Sabarimala hill. We treated as many as 7,500 people within a span of just 30 days,” he shares.

104 and 14417 helplines

“Every year, we used to receive calls from media to know the number of deaths after the announcement of classes 10 and 12 board results. They were disturbing. We had to change the course somehow. So, we conceptualised the 104 helpline which is a round-the-clock state-wide suicide prevention helpline. This became so popular that there were days when the helpline received over 30,000 calls in a single day,” recollects Doss. Similarly, in 2018, the 14417 helpline was introduced. It provides information on various options available for higher studies after classes 10 and 12 exams, and psychological advice.

Chennai floods

“It was in November 2015 and it was pouring. I told the team we were heading for a disaster and something big is going to happen, but nobody believed. We were shooting emails to all the departments to keep supplies ready. On December 1, it rained very heavily and half of Chennai was inundated,” recalls Doss, adding that he stayed there not just for that night but for the following seven days. The entire team was on its toes rushing to rescue. They were the first to declare Code-D (Disaster) on December 1. His number was on all social media platforms and he was flooded with calls from all over the world.

“Need always triggers innovation. When we were carrying out a rescue operation in Porur, it had no working communication device. So we had to connect our wireless tower call centre with police wireless in Porur and communicate with them. It was a Eureka moment for us. We realised the need for wireless in the health system. Today, for every mass gathering event, an exclusive wireless network is available for health,” he says.

Other projects

It has always been a challegne for ambulances to get access to lanes and by-lanes. In order to overcome these obstacles and to complement the existing ambulances, First Responder bikes were introduced in 2016. Also, being in emergency medical services, it’s imperative to have proactive skills in planning and seamless execution. Therefore, for every mass gathering event, a system is put in place to systematically plan the need, collaborate with District Administration and deploy resources. 

After 108 months at GVK EMRI

“After nine years into emergency, I feel there is still a lot of work to do. In the next 10 years, emergency situations will grow in leaps and bounds. We must now equip the community with first aid to recognise, respond and provide relief to an emergency. Also, we need to strengthen the emergency care in secondary care institutions in tier 2 and tier 3 cities by setting up emergency departments and stand-alone emergency care centres,” says Prabhu Doss, who is now the COO, Emergency Care Services, Bewell Hospitals.