India’s First Resuscitation Academy starts in Hyderabad
HYDERABAD, Mar 13 (The CONNECT) -EMRI Green Health Services (EMRI GHS) of ‘Dial 108’ fame has established India’s first Resuscitation Academy at its national headquarters in Hyderabad. This academy is the first of its kind, dedicated to excellence in resuscitation training, joining other countries of the world where 30 such academies exist.
The Resuscitation Academy in India (RAI) has been established in partnership with the Global Resuscitation Alliance (GRA). Its primary objective is to enhance cardiac arrest survival rates in India.
India has reported approximately 1.2 million cases of sudden cardiac arrest, yet awareness of CPR remains critically low at just 2%. Additionally, instances of bystander CPR are rare. These alarming statistics underscore the urgent need for enhanced resuscitation strategies. In response to this challenge, the Resuscitation Academy was established.
Dr. GV Ramana Rao, Director, Emergency Medicine Learning Centre (EMLC) & Research at EMRI set the tone for the inaugural. The 108 emergency ambulance services operated by EMRI till date have attended to over 30 crore emergencies, saving 80 lakh lives and assisting 7.5 lakh deliveries in their ambulances.
R V Karnan, Commissioner of Health & Family Welfare, MD-NHM, CEO Arogyasri Trust, Telangana, was the chief guest.
Karnan highlighted that Telangana has a significantly better ambulance availability compared to the national average.
While the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recommends a ratio of one Basic Life Support (BLS) and one Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance per 100,000 people, Telangana currently has one ambulance for every 64,500 people. The goal is to further improve this ratio to one ambulance per 50,000 people, he said.
The senior officer emphasized the critical need for Trauma Care to be delivered within the Golden Hour to improve patient outcomes. With support from the World Bank, Telangana is working to enhance its healthcare infrastructure by setting up 100 trauma care centres, aiming to strengthen emergency medical response capabilities. He also highlighted the significance of training and awareness, particularly in CPR, noting that all police personnel in the state, along with 50,000 civilians, have been trained in life-saving techniques.
Karnan emphasized the need for Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs), a portable life-saving device that assess heart rhythm and deliver an electric shock to restore normal heartbeat, especially during sudden cardiac arrest—to be widely accessible, including in public places.
He also stressed that all educational institutions should conduct CPR training programmes. Additionally, he suggested fostering Public-Private Partnerships to enhance emergency care services.
In his opening remarks, Subodh Satyawadi, President of EMRI GHS, reflected on the organization’s journey. What began as a small initiative in 2005 with just a few ambulances has now expanded into a fleet of over 17,000 ambulances.
Today, EMRI GHS is recognized as a trusted name in safety and quality pre-hospital care. Through various projects, its emergency response services now cater to nearly one billion people across the country.
Ann Michelle Doll, Executive Director of the Resuscitation Academy Foundation, USA; Prof. (Dr.) Marcus, Director of the Unit for Prehospital Emergency Care, Ministry of Health, Government of Singapore; and Tore Laerdal from the Laerdal Foundation also attended the event.
A demonstration of bystander CPR and high-performance CPR was conducted. Vital Rao from Nirmal town, a CPR survivor, shared his experience, recalling how the 108 Ambulance Service saved his life, expressing his heartfelt gratitude to the team.
To mark the occasion, the Inaugural Leadership Workshop of the Resuscitation Academy was held at the EMRI GHS Campus. The residential workshop began on Thursday and will conclude on Friday, bringing together over 75 participants. Attendees include practising doctors from institutions like NIMS and Apollo, government health officials, subject matter experts and other key leaders in the field.
The workshop is designed to support the implementation of the Global Resuscitation Alliance (GRA) 10 Steps, recognized as the gold standard for enhancing cardiac arrest survival rates worldwide. The RAI believes that the effective implementation of these ten steps will help improve Return of Spontaneous Circulation in cardiac arrest cases in target regions in India from 2% to 10% by 2030.
Unit for Prehospital Emergency Care (UPEC), Ministry of Health, Government of Singapore, is the technical partner to the workshop under the aegis of Global Resuscitation Alliance
