Where to buy
Carried by Amazon in every market, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Waterstones, Booktopia, Kinokuniya, Flipkart, Google Books, Apple Books and Kobo. Printed on demand close to wherever it is ordered.
Listed with the worldwide trade network, so any bookstore or library can order it. Ask for it by ISBN: 978-1957456867 (paperback) or 978-1957456874 (hardcover).
What is inside
Every year, countless lives are put at risk not only by accidents and medical emergencies but also by the delays that follow. From the moment an emergency occurs to the arrival of medical assistance, every second matters.
Yet, the critical time between injury and treatment is often lost to confusion, inadequate infrastructure, traffic, and a lack of coordinated response.
Golden Hours by Dr. N. K. Venkataramana explores how timely intervention, preparedness, and a well-connected emergency care system can change the course of a life-threatening situation.
The book begins with a deeply personal experience from the author's early years as a neurosurgeon. On a New Year's Eve in Bangalore, five preventable deaths left him confronting a difficult question: Why should people lose their lives simply because help did not reach them in time?
That experience became the foundation of a mission to transform emergency healthcare.
Drawing on decades of medical experience, Dr. Venkataramana takes readers through the challenges of building an organised emergency response network. From establishing the 1062 trauma hotline and introducing mobile intensive care units to developing green corridors, highway clinics, and coordinated trauma care, the book documents the determination required to turn a vision into a functioning system.
Beyond medical innovation, Golden Hours examines the importance of road safety, public awareness, first response, institutional collaboration, and the shared responsibility of saving lives. It highlights why emergency care must begin long before a patient reaches the hospital.
Written for healthcare professionals, policymakers, emergency responders, medical students, public health leaders, and general readers, the book offers insights into the human and systemic challenges of emergency healthcare.
It is also for anyone who believes that access to timely medical assistance should not depend on circumstance or chance.
At its heart, Golden Hours is a story of purpose, resilience, and the conviction that no life should be lost simply because help arrived too late.
Excerpt
From “New Year’s Eve on Brigade Road”
New Year's Eve already has a track record of having a load of injuries of all varieties, more so under the influence of alcohol.
This has made me often wonder whether this is the proper way to celebrate such an auspicious day. I have witnessed everything from petty quarrels to serious mob violence, and injuries ranging from simple ones to fatal ones, turning what was supposed to be a happy day into one of grief and heartbreak.
In those days, it was a big custom for people in Bangalore to gather around the Brigade Road and MG Road area. They will be colorfully decorated for the occasion, and the celebration will begin in the evening and last till way past midnight. People will go around having a lot of fun and frolic, eating and drinking, and greeting each other at midnight to welcome the new year, irrespective of their age and religion. You could taste the joy in the air.
However, once the night darkens, everything depends on the amount of alcohol consumed. Drowning in drinks and having lost their wit, people often end up creating a ruckus. There will be countless altercations, falls, and accidents around the city. That is why New Year’s Eve is a nightmare for the police department. From managing the traffic and crowd to keeping the mobs in order, they will be running around the whole night. More or less, this drinking and fighting has become a tradition of sorts in Bangalore, and no New Year has ever passed without it. However, other private parties, dinners, and events among the elites will be galore all over the city.
It was one such New Year that changed my life forever. I was in my 2nd year of residency program and part of the night shift crew in the hospital. We were enjoying the quiet and exchanging pleasantries with the staff. Most of them a little sad about not being able to be with their loved ones. But once midnight struck, the hospital phones started screaming one after the other. The quiet corridor became flooded with patients and attenders. Most of them were drunk, including the ones who brought the patients in. And to our alarm, a good number of them were in highly critical condition. Everyone moved in a hurry; doctors and nurses rushed in every direction to accommodate the patients. Many required detailed investigation and emergency surgery because of the head injuries and blood clots.
What shook me to my core that day was the five deaths I had to declare. Even though I have seen patients lose their lives before under unavoidable circumstances, it was the first time for me to see so many deaths so close together that could have been avoided. It was not like the deaths where injuries were too severe, or diseases slowly beat out the medicines, or chronic illnesses that were beyond a doctor's help. These were injuries created by alcohol, carelessness, and recklessness, and could have been avoided or saved if they had been able to receive help quickly.
Trailer
About the author
Founder & Chairman, Brains Hospital · Bengaluru, India
“Raam encouraged me to write a book and introduced me to Write Now. Inspired by it, I decided to bring my years of writing on the brain together into one book.”
Dr. N K Venkataramana is a renowned neurosurgeon with 35+ years of experience, Founder Chairman of BRAINS Hospital, and pioneer of India’s first GPS-enabled trauma care network (1062).
Published by Stardom Books — written from the author’s own words, in the author’s name. Browse the catalogue
Start here
The Authority Quotient is a thirty-minute evaluation that measures your authority two ways — how you rate yourself, and what a stranger can verify — and ends with one specific recommendation, including which type of book is yours.
Find your Authority QuotientNo cost. Get detailed report. Includes specific recommendations.
