The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that the right to trauma care of citizens is an integral part of the right to life enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution, and directed states and Union Territories to integrate all emergency and ambulance helplines, such as 100, 101, 108, 102, 1033, and 1091, into helpline 112 within three months.

“A uniform and robust system of trauma care, steps towards its progressive realisation, and increasing public awareness are well-intentioned and may turn out to be absolutely critical in reducing preventable deaths,” a bench of Justice J K Maheshwari and Atul S Chandurkar said.

“Sustained and concerted efforts by both the Union and the States/UTs working in unison can certainly result in a uniform trauma care system throughout the country which is both efficient and effective,” the court added.

The court was hearing a petition filed by SaveLIFE Foundation, a Delhi-based road safety organisation, which urged that a uniform system for trauma care be created across states and holistic directions be issued to ensure compliance with all the related regulations in a time-bound manner.

A total of 1.77 lakh people died in road accidents in 2024, making India’s toll the highest in the world. The major cause of fatalities in such accidents has been identified as the lack of timely access to emergency or trauma care.

The most crucial response after an accident is the swift transportation of the victim to the nearest hospital. In these crucial moments, a bystander or Good Samaritan can play a key role, but many hesitate due to the fear of legal proceedings or getting summoned by the police. To address this, the bench directed states to establish a functional Good Samaritan grievance redressal system within three months.

The Supreme Court further asked the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to issue a standardised medical rescue protocol for trauma cases, for taking road accident victims to the hospital.

The court also took note of the non-compliance with key standards by ambulances on the roads and their inaccessibility, due to which victims could not reach hospitals in time. In this regard, all states have been directed to ensure full compliance with the National Ambulance Code by all registered ambulances, mandate GPS/vehicle location tracking device (VLTD) fitment and real-time integration with helpline 112. The court also asked to conduct periodic structured audits covering response times, quality of care, equipment, and outcomes, within three months.

The court asked the states to adopt and implement a standardised Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) curriculum notified by the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP), and to align their training institutions and personnel certification framework accordingly.

The Supreme Court also said that states that have not yet adopted the Cashless Treatment of Road Accident Victims Scheme, 2025-PM RAHAT, should do so in the next three months.