New Delhi, Jan 7 (IANS): The Indian Medical Association (IMA) Wednesday called for every critical patient to be transported unhindered to the nearest hospital without traffic obstructions.

Referring to the incident where police created a special green corridor to transfer a donor heart for transplantation, the IMA said: "Every citizen in cardiac arrest or any other medical emergency has the right to be transported uninterrupted to the nearest hospital at the earliest without the traffic obstructing the way.

"So, why should such arrangements be made only for heart transplant cases?"

The IMA suggested that there should be a toll-free number in every state and whenever there is a life-threatening emergency on the road, clear traffic should be arranged so that the patient can be shifted promptly to nearby medical help.

"When routinely such arrangements can be made for a VIP car or delegation, then why not for a person who is dying," IMA national president A. Marthanda Pillai said in a statement.

He said that in case of any emergency, the nearest PCR van should accompany the ambulance or the victim's vehicle.