The Supreme Court has emphasized that the right to trauma care is a fundamental aspect of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution. In a recent ruling, the Court directed all states and Union Territories (UTs) to consolidate their various emergency and ambulance helplines into a single helpline, ‘112’, within three months for more efficient emergency response.
Justices J K Maheshwari and A S Chandurkar, who formed the bench for this case, stressed the necessity of a systemic intervention to enhance trauma care. They called for the creation of a uniform framework that includes building public awareness, standardizing first aid skills, and implementing effective Good Samaritan laws.
The Court instructed states and UTs to achieve full technical and operational integration of existing emergency helplines—such as 100, 101, 108, 102, 1033, and 1091—into the newly designated helpline 112. This integration should be accompanied by extensive mass-media campaigns to promote awareness of helpline 112, as per the bench’s directives.
Additionally, the Union of India, through its health ministry and road transport and highways ministry, has been authorized to establish a medical rescue protocol specifically for trauma cases. The Court mandated that all states and UTs operationalize this protocol at their respective levels within three months of its issuance.
