Hyderabad, July 25: The Hyderabad Chapter of International Trauma Care (ITC) was formally launched on Friday at Anantha Rehabilitation Centre, Begumpet, with trauma care experts calling for greater public participation in emergency response and stronger trauma care infrastructure across Telangana.
Medical experts said trauma care should not remain the responsibility of healthcare professionals alone but should become a community-wide priority.
At the launch, Dr. Manas Panigrahi, Senior Neurosurgeon at KIMS Hospitals, assumed charge as President of the Hyderabad Chapter, while Dr. Ashima Sharma, Senior Professor of Emergency Medicine at NIMS, took over as Secretary.
Founded in 1988 by Dr. Martin Issac, International Trauma Care (ITC) is a multidisciplinary professional body dedicated to reducing deaths and disabilities caused by trauma through its internationally recognised Comprehensive Trauma Life Support (CTLS) programme.
The Hyderabad Chapter will organise CTLS training, Continuing Medical Education (CME) programmes and public awareness campaigns involving schools, colleges, police and other stakeholders across Telangana.
The experts highlighted the growing burden of road accidents in India, noting that the country records nearly 1.68 lakh road accident deaths annually, averaging around 19 deaths every hour.
Telangana ranks ninth in the country in road accident fatalities, recording around 25,000 accidents and 8,000 deaths every year, with young people accounting for a significant share of the victims.
They stressed that trauma management should focus not only on treatment after accidents but also on the three pillars of Engineering, Enforcement and Education to reduce fatalities.
The speakers emphasised that timely treatment during the Golden Hour can significantly improve survival rates.
Dr. Manas Panigrahi said delayed access to specialised medical care continues to contribute to preventable deaths, particularly in cases involving severe head injuries.
Dr. Ashima Sharma called for trauma awareness and first-response education to reach every section of society so that citizens can respond effectively during emergencies.
Dr. Chandrasekhar, Secretary of National ITC and former Professor of Anaesthesiology at Osmania General Hospital, said the organisation would work to strengthen Telangana’s trauma care ecosystem.
ITC announced plans to establish District Trauma Skill Centres across Telangana to train doctors, nurses, paramedics, police personnel, firefighters, teachers, students and community volunteers in life-saving trauma care.
The organisation also proposed setting up Integrated Trauma Care Centres that would bring together prevention, emergency response, treatment, rehabilitation, education and research under a coordinated framework.
It further urged recognition of trauma care as an essential competency for healthcare professionals and frontline personnel while advocating basic trauma response training for every citizen.
Doctors expressed concern over the increasing use of mobile phones while driving and walking, describing distracted behaviour as a major cause of road accidents.
They observed that motorists in India often hesitate to proceed even after traffic lights turn green because of fears that other vehicles may jump red signals.
The experts also noted that road users today must remain alert not only to traffic around them but also to hazards such as vehicles falling from flyovers, referring to incidents reported in Hyderabad.
“Trauma can strike anyone, anywhere and at any time. Trauma care must not remain the subject of medical professionals alone—it must become everybody’s subject,” the experts said.
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