India has one of the highest road injury deaths in the world, with 40% of lives lost due to uncontrolled bleeding. But bystanders trained in ‘Active Bleeding Control’ (ABC) can play a vital role in saving precious lives before an ambulance arrives. It was with this objective that the ABC-Stop The Bleed programme was launched in the country in March 2018, with the pilot project being launched at GVK-EMRI, Medchal, Telangana.
The fourth annual summit of Active Bleeding Control–Stop the Bleed came to close here on Thursday. Children and teachers who trained a minimum of four people in ABC, those who performed skits to motivate people to learn the skill, and other participants were presented awards. Besides children who had the maximum multiplier effect in ABC project, the principals of seven schools were also awarded.
The summit was organised by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pediatric Simulation Training and Research Society (PediSTARS), University of Pennsylvania Institute for the Advanced Study of India, Transport Department Telangana, Road Safety Club, GVK EMRI (108), Public Health Foundation of India and Indian Development Foundation.
Geethanjali Ramachandra from PediSTARS said ABC–Stop the Bleed is a research project to empower citizens to save the lives of accident victims from severe bleeding.
Vinay Nadkarni from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was the chief guest at the programme.
Training people
Phase-I of the ABC project was conducted from September 2018 to September 2020 in which 1,076 autorickshaw drivers, police personnel and other citizens were trained in controlling bleeding.
The 2.5-hour training programme includes five steps — scene safety, calling an ambulance, identifying life-threatening bleeding, applying direct pressure and applying of tourniquet. ABC volunteers have saved more than 163 lives.
In Phase-II of the project, children from seven government and private schools in Hyderabad were empowered to train the community in ABC. Nearly 500 children (ABC Gurus) have been trained, and they have, in turn, trained their families. Currently, there are more than 2,500 ABC Gurus.
ABC is supported and funded by Infinite Computer Solutions Limited and the University of Pennsylvania.
