‘Pregnancy is the number one form of emergency’

According to studies, out of 21,500 emergencies responded every day by a fleet of over 5,300 ambulances, nearly 9000 of them are pregnancy related. It means nearly 35 per cent are pregnancy related cases. With institutional deliveries and skilled birth attendants, 80 per cent of Maternal Mortality Rate can be reduced effectively.

For the first time in India, globally certified training programmes on Basic Life Support in Obstetrics (BLSO) and Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO) is being organized, which began on Tuesday in Hyderabad.

GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute (GVK EMRI) started this unique training programme in coordination with American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). They signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) also.

Speaking on this occasion Dr GV Ramana Rao, head, Emergency Medicine Learing Centre (EMLC), GVK-EMRI, said that training will be given to doctors, nurses, midwives and other health care providers for developing life saving obstetric skills to reduce maternal mortality rate and manage life threatening emergencies during delivery time.

In these training programmes skill-based workshops, case studies and lectures also will be organised at full length. Senior practicing obstetricians from leading hospitals in India are also participating.

“Many of us generally think trauma emergencies are more. But we encountered daily more pregnancy related emergencies than trauma. According to our internal studies, out of 21,500 emergencies responded every day by a fleet of over 5,300 ambulances, nearly 9000 of them are pregnancy related. It means nearly 35 per cent are pregnancy related cases. With institutional deliveries and skilled birth attendants, 80 per cent of Maternal Mortality Rate can be reduced effectively. Through lifesaving obstetric skills among the health providers, we can decrease MMR from 212 per 1, 00,000 live births to less than 100. We want to achieve this by 2015,” said Dr G V Ramana Rao.

“These training programmes will be so much useful for doctors, paramedical staff and residents to save the lives of pregnant women in critical emergency situations. Post-partum hemorrhage will play a vital role in the deaths of mothers.

‘ALSO’ programme helps to reduce MMR and Infant Mortality Rate.I am very happy to be associated with GVK-EMRI in this programme”, said Dr Ann Evensen, Obstetrician and Gynecologist, AAFP.

“50 per cent of maternal deaths are happening within 48 hours of delivery. Post-partum hemorrhage is taking the lives of many mothers. Besides this, delay in decision making and arranging transport also leads to death of many pregnant women. ‘ALSO’ and ‘BLSO’ certification courses offered at GVK-EMRI are really a boon to doctors, nurses to update their professional skills,” opined Dr Raja Narsing Rao, senior anesthetist and national consultant, EMLC.

“Some of the focused areas in the workshop include post-partum hemorrhage, maternal resuscitation, mal presentations” he added. The poster of Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics was released by Dr Ann Evensen, AAFP.