George Abraham (PRESIDENT 2002)
AAEMI begins the new year with new leadership and a rejuvenated board of directors resulting from the additional 5 new members. As we begin to embark on new ideas and new projects, it is prudent that we briefly reflect on our past. Although in the second year of existence, we are actually only 10 months old, and for such a young organization, we have achieved a lot and though small in size, have a truly international reputation. Our membership extends across 12 states and have already made significant contributions to the evolving specialty of Emergency Medicine in India. We are working very closely with the Society of Emergency Medicine in India (SEMI) and with various institutions in India promoting emergency medicine and enhancing emergency care. Our participation and presentations at the EMCON 2001 conference in Coimbatore sparked renewed strength and energy to the rate of development of Emergency Medicine in the country. Kudos to our past president and the very highly dedicated founding board members.
Those of us who are well aware of the current state of emergency medicine in India will realize the magnitude and enormity of the task in attaining our goal of enhancing emergency medicine and disaster preparedness to the level in western societies. Imagine an India with an emergency medicine residency and subspecialty fellowship training program in every teaching hospital, every emergency room having adequately trained personnel, every town having a pre hospital trauma & medical emergency response system as well as a well designed and coordinated disaster and mass casualty system! Well! I believe that we shall see it happen in the not too distant future.
The good news is that the movement has already begun, and is gathering momentum, and AAEMI is in the forefront doing what we can, with the resources we have. There are already 5-6 different teaching institutions offering post-graduate training in Emergency Medicine, and more are in the offing. At least in these institutions, emergency rooms are given departmental status and are very fast becoming emergency rooms in the real sense, and not First Aid / Triage stations.
Pre hospital Emergency Medical Services systems are at the top of the agenda in 3-4 different institutions with plans to extend the same to cover all of India. Emergency Services Network has been set up in Hyderabad with member institutions from New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Mangalore and Bombay working together to establish a good pre hospital system. A national emergency access number, which is 1066 is already operational in Hyderabad and is being introduced in other cities at this time.
All of these are but drops in the bucket, considering the size and diversity that India has. We, AAEMI, now have committees established, each having members with expertise in various aspects of Emergency Medicine mentioned above, to help us facilitate and enhance these changes.
I appeal to each one of you to set aside some time and energy every day - even a few minutes- and let us work together as a team, keeping in mind our goals and objectives and help make this Herculean task an achievable one.
George Abraham, M.D.
President, AAEMI