BEIJING — Chinese authorities have issued a circular, calling for sound long-term mechanisms of coordinated police and medical response to road traffic accidents.

The document, issued jointly by the Ministry of Public Security and the National Health Commission, required local governments to establish coordination mechanisms between the police and medical institutions, with specific work plans, clear responsibilities and detailed measures.

Police and medical response to emergency calls in road traffic accidents should be synchronized to shorten the time required for first-aid services.

Traffic priority for ambulances and rescue vehicles should be ensured, and more convenient access to treatment should be provided by medical institutions to people injured in road traffic accidents to increase the efficiency of rescue and treatment, said the circular.

The circular urged local public security and health administrative departments to establish traffic accident rescue and treatment networks and make constant improvement.

Efforts should be stepped up to improve the pre-hospital medical care system and build more first-aid centers, it said.

The cooperation among police, medical institutions and general aviation operators should be strengthened to coordinate land and air rescue operations in such accidents, the circular said.

Statistics have shown that 48 percent of people in traffic accidents died without receiving medical treatment, among whom 20.8 percent were killed instantly.