Neurologist calls for national dialogue to address rural India’s emergency care crisis

Seeking to highlight rural India’s emergency care crisis, neurologist and stroke specialist Dr. Shushrutha Gowda has called for a national dialogue to ensure that “no Indian loses the Golden Hour simply because of where they live”.

He pointed out that the “greatest enemy” of people suffering heart attacks, bites by venomous snakes or developing life-threatening situations during childbirth in remote rural areas is often not the disease itself. “It is time”, he said in a statement here.

“Every passing minute means more heart muscle dies during a heart attack, more brain cells are lost during a stroke, more blood is lost in trauma or obstetric emergencies, and more organs begin to fail in septic shock.

The first sixty minutes—the Golden Hour—often determine whether a patient survives, survives with disability, or never returns home. Yet for millions of Indians, those precious minutes are spent on rough roads, inside overcrowded ambulances or searching for a hospital capable of providing definitive care rather than receiving life-saving treatment,” he said.

Though India has every reason to be proud of its healthcare achievements over the past decade, Dr. Gowda said emergency care remains one of the country’s greatest healthcare inequalities.

“Nearly 70% of India’s population lives in rural areas, while only around one-fifth of hospitals are located there,” he said.

“Community Health Centres and Taluk Hospitals were created to provide secondary care and manage emergencies closer to home. However, many continue to struggle with shortages of specialists, advanced diagnostics, intensive care facilities and emergency infrastructure. 

The result is that patients with stroke, heart attack, major trauma, complicated deliveries and severe infections are frequently referred to district hospitals or urban tertiary centres, often hours away. By the time they arrive, the disease has already gained the upper hand,” he said.

National dialogue

Emphasising the need for a national dialogue to address rural India’s emergency care crisis, Dr. Gowda said the Union and State governments should bring together leaders from government hospitals, private healthcare institutions, charitable hospitals, medical colleges, professional medical associations and public health experts for the purpose.

“Such discussions should focus on strengthening referral pathways, improving coordination between hospitals, expanding telemedicine support, developing incentives for rural practice, sharing specialist expertise and building sustainable models of collaboration that place patients first,” he said.

“The Golden Hour should never be a privilege determined by geography; it should be a promise made to every Indian,” he said.