Awareness about the concept of Green Corridor among medical student and doctors in a Rural Medical College of Maharashtra, India

Abstract

Background: India's traffic problem over the years has been the root cause of many deaths. During an medical emergency like organ transplantation over long distances, the unsuitability of roads and highways hamper in the worst way possible. In a developing unplanned country like India, where lane discipline is an alien concept, emergency lanes won't sustain as of now. Thus, for provision of better health services, a temporary emergency lane has been implemented in organ transplantation cases known as a Green Corridor. It is a special route with manual operation of street signals and traffic to avoid any hindrances that could come in the way of an ambulance. Aims and Objectives: To learn about the awareness, strategies and possibilities of Green Corridor in India. Material and Method: This was an interventional study by the undergraduate students of Rural Medical College, Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences, Loni, Maharashtra. The study also included 350 Students and 150 Faculty members of Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences (Deemed University) and Practicing Doctors of Central Maharashtra were included in the survey. The survey conducted was in a pre and post-test format. Results: The study involved 500 participants out of which 135 were medical faculty and practicing doctor and 350 were students of Rural Medical College. The awareness among medical students about green corridor increased from 14% to 61%, while it went up to 71% from 26% in medical faculty after intervention. Willingness to donate organs increased from 57% to 66% and 78% to 85% among medical students and medical faculty, respectively. The participants gave suggestions to make available air ambulance & emergency roads and increase awareness regarding green corridor. Conclusion: From the survey conducted, it can be perceived that there is a massive lack of awareness about Green Corridor as well as reluctance for organ donation. Therefore, awareness should be created on a large scale so that no person is left oblivious. Even on a smaller scale, an implementation of the suggested strategies could make a massive difference in the present scenario regarding medical emergencies.