GOA:
Healthway Hospital, the only health facility in Goa to conduct the prestigious Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course for doctors hosted the 10th edition of the intensive two and a half days long course at the hospital’s new facility in Old Goa.
This was the 7th course conducted at the ATLS Goa site. Each qualifying batch comprises of a max of 16 doctors (students/ delegates). There have been over 100 doctors so far who have qualified and passed the provider course from Healthway Hospital.
The ATLS Course is the copyright of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and is run by the Committee on Trauma (COT). The Indian Chapter (ATLS India) is headed by Prof. M. C. Misra, Ex-Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi, Ex-Chief of Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre (JPNATC), AIIMS New Delhi and Chair ATLS India.
The course comprises of interactive discussions and hands-on training on manikins with an examination at the end. Successful candidates are conferred an ATLS Provider Certificate, that is valid worldwide and has to be renewed very four years. Currently the course is in its 10th edition.
ATLS protocols are considered the gold standard in the management of trauma all over the world. So far, the course has been adopted in over 60 countries and more than 1 million doctors have been trained using the ATLS protocols and methodology. This course trains doctors (MBBS & BDS) in the management of injured patients in the critical initial period (referred to as the Golden Hour) and helps save lives and prevents disabilities.
Goa has a very high rate of death and disability, as a result of trauma. It has the dubious distinction of the highest rate of two wheeler accidents in India. On an average 30 deaths per month in Goa are attributable to road traffic accidents alone. Sadly, people affected by trauma are in the productive age group, the earning members of their respective families. Thus trauma not only harms an individual but has a devastating effect on the entire household. Hence ATLS protocols are of even more significance to Goa.
Training in the ATLS protocols of trauma management reduces mortality and morbidity giving doctors the necessary skill, competence and confidence to deal with trauma in a manner that is adopted worldwide.
Healthway Hospital, Goa, was approved as the 9th ATLS site in India and the inaugural course was conducted in association with The American College of Surgeons and ATLS India on 28th, 29th & 30th Jan 2016. The course was truly an international one with both faculty and students from Goa, rest of India and abroad.
There are only 14 officially approved sites in India other than Heathway Hospital Goa as follows,
1. All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) – New Delhi,
2. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital – New Delhi,
3. JIPMER – Pondichery
4. Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences, Pune
5. TACT Academy – Chennai
6. L. T. M. Medical College – Mumbai
7. Apex Academy – Ahmedabad
8. IIEMS – Kottayam
9. KGMU – Lucknow
10.Medica Superspeciality Hospital – Kolkata
11. Command Hospital Airforce – Bengaluru
12. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital – Bengaluru
13. Ramaiah Medical College – Bengaluru
14. Mahatma Gandhi University of Medical Sciences & Technology – Jaipur
This course is run on a no profit basis and Healthway Hospital was well appreciated in its efforts to propagate this world acclaimed course at the World Trauma Congress in New Delhi in Aug 2017.
Currently the certified ATLS faculty in Goa include Dr Mahendra Kudchadkar, Senior Orthopedician, (Healthway Hospital) ; Dr Deepa Correia Afonso, Senior Surgeon at the Directorate of Health Services ; Dr Shailesh Hede, Senior Surgeon at the Directorate of Health Services ; Dr Nilesh Talwadker, Surgeon , ( Healthway Hospital) ; Dr Sandeep Pawar, Senior Anaesthetist and Pain Consultant ( Healthway Hospital) ; Dr Freston Mark Sirur, Senior Resident and MD Emergency services (Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Karnataka ); Dr Neena Faldesai, Practicing Anaesthesiologist and Dr Amit Kalangutkar, Surgeon ( Healthway Hospital ).
Healthway Hospital through ATLS, aims at establishing a systematised and goal directed trauma care facility to those who face the greatest threat on roads today.
