SC: Trauma Care Part of Right to Life

India’s Supreme Court has declared that trauma care is an essential component of the right to life under the Constitution. Justices J.K. Maheshwari and A.S. Chandurkar issued directives requiring all states and Union Territories to operationalize the emergency helpline number 112 within three months. The court also mandated the establishment of a functional grievance redressal system for Good Samaritans to address fears of legal repercussions when assisting accident victims. The ruling followed a petition by SaveLife Foundation, which sought legal recognition for trauma care as part of the public health system. The court emphasized that accident victims often face critical delays in receiving medical attention, with each minute without intervention reducing survival chances. It stressed the need for standardized first-aid training, public awareness, and stronger protections for bystanders under Section 134A of the Motor Vehicles Act. The Union health ministry was instructed to develop guidelines within eight weeks for a trauma registry, requiring all states and UTs to set up and link trauma registries covering all medical facilities within four months. The court also demanded compliance with AIS-125 standards for ambulances, mandatory GPS tracking, and periodic audits of response times, equipment, and care quality. To improve public response, the court ordered sustained multilingual awareness campaigns on helpline 112, Good Samaritan protections, and the PM RAHAT cashless treatment scheme. The Centre was given three months to issue a medical rescue protocol for trauma cases, with states and UTs required to implement it within three months thereafter. The directives aim to streamline emergency care and reduce preventable deaths from trauma.