Nearly 200 bystanders and roadside amenity providers were trained under a first aid trauma care programme by the International Road Federation (IRF) in association with AIIMS and the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways, an official said on Thursday.

The certification programme started from the 107-km-long National Highway-37 stretch of the Dibrugarh-Jorhat corridor in Assam. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) trauma centre, also known as Jai Prakash Narayan (JPN) Apex Trauma Centre, was the main training provider, an IRF statement said.On behalf of the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways (MoRTH), the National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) participated in the programme."About 200 persons including bystanders, roadside amenity providers like puncture shop owners, tea stalls, dhaba workers and petrol pump staff were trained and certified after stringent post-training evaluation done through case assignment, assessment/observation/ role play and viva voce," said K.K. Kapila, Chairman, IRF.

The International Road Federation is a Geneva-based global body working for better and safer roads worldwide.According to Kapila, this was the first programme under the Enhanced First Aid initiative of IRF-JPN trauma centre of AIIMS."The training imparted enhanced first aid and life-saving techniques, as a part of pre-hospital care, to bystanders and volunteers from roadside amenities to act as first responders and trauma care providers for road accident victims during the golden hour," said Kapila.The enhanced first aid training includes applying basic measures to clear victim's airway and control bleeding, clearing any obstructions and draining any fluid from victim's mouth, calling emergency services, performing first aid for the victim, safe handling and shifting techniques to avoid further injury to the victim till the emergency medical services reach the accident site. 

Skills such as to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) through chest compressions, maintaining breathing, relieving choking at the accident site and dealing with different kinds of bleeding were also taught.In future, the organisations will be holding similar programmes in Tamil Nadu covering stretches recording a large number of road accidents."The training will be organised in association with the Ministry of Health in the near future. The enhanced first aid training will also be undertaken in the states of Bihar and West Bengal," said Kapila.