Every Second Counts: A new book from ACCESS Health

Emergency medical response systems are a critical component of any nation’s healthcare system. Minutes and seconds can mean the difference between life or death. In our latest book, Every Second Counts, ACCESS Health Chair and President William A. Haseltine tells the story of the largest emergency services provider in the world.

The Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI) launched in 2005 in a single state in India, Andhra Pradesh. Today, it operates in seventeen Indian states and territories and serves a population of more than seven hundred million. Each day, the emergency system receives one hundred and fifty thousand calls and responds to almost twenty five thousand emergencies. The service is free to the user and costs EMRI less than $15 USD per emergency, less than one percent of what an emergency call costs in the United States.

“What the government of India has achieved in partnership with EMRI is nothing short of groundbreaking,” said Dr. Haseltine. “Despite limited resources, challenging infrastructure, and a substantial population spread out over one of the largest countries in the world, the government created a near universal, world class emergency system. The EMRI story proves that every government, with the right intentions and partnerships, can provide their people universal access to high quality and affordable care.”

At ACCESS Health, we believe all people no matter where they live, no matter what their age, have the right to access high quality and affordable healthcare and to lead healthy and productive lives. Every Second Counts is one in a series of books written by the organization to showcase outstanding examples of success.

In addition to being the largest emergency services provider in the world, EMRI also represents one of the largest public private partnerships. Central and state governments in India share the costs of the service but private companies do the work. Every Second Counts is an inspiring story of political leadership, private sector engagement, and public access to care. The book is an important read for policymakers, business leaders, and healthcare leaders who care about providing high quality care at an affordable cost to all those in need.

Head to Amazon.com to buy a hard copy of the book or download the PDF of the book here.

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