The Health Ministry on Wednesday launched a National Emergency Life Support (NELS) course for doctors, nurses and paramedics with the Union Minister of State Health Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar stating that this will replace the health care professionals’ dependency on foreign modules.
The course plan includes developing training infrastructure in all States/UTs to implement the NELS course and creating a cadre of trainers to train doctors, nurses and paramedics working in emergency departments of the hospitals and ambulance services.
The activities under the NELS entail developing emergency life support training modules for doctors, nurses and paramedics after experts’ consultations and based on the Indian context, setting up and equipping skill centres in medical colleges under Centre/States to impart skill-based training on emergency life support for all categories of health functionaries.
The Minister added that this initiative will lead to creation of a pool of trained doctors, nurses and paramedics in the country with skills to provide standardized emergency life support and reduce mortality due to medical emergencies. “This will contribute to overall disaster preparedness and response capacities in providing emergency clinical care. NELS course is comprehensive and deals with the management of medical emergencies, surgical emergencies, cardiac emergencies, respiratory emergencies including ventilator management protocol for COVID-19 and other disease, trauma-related emergencies, obstetric emergencies, paediatric emergencies, snake bites, poisoning etc.,’’ noted a release issued by the Ministry.
