Precisely one year back, Rajasthan Congress’s money-making ambulance scam galvanized the BJP scion to sign a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) for combined ‘108’ ambulance services. The preceding government, in the words of ED (Enforcement Directorate), “committed a number of irregularities in the execution of the 108 ambulance scheme” in Rajasthan. Resultantly, Raje-led Rajasthan government collaborated with private firm GVK-EMRI to launch an ambulance that combines 104, 108 and other base services.
The revamped 108 ambulance worked like a charm. Motivated by its success, the Rajasthan Health Department is sewed up for ALS ambulance for heart patients. It is going to be Rajasthan’s first advanced life support ambulance service.
These People can Use the ALS Ambulance during Emergencies…
These people can avail ALS service for transportation to the nearest suitable hospital:
- Patients suffering from an unexpected heart attack
- Those requiring immediate care.
The health officers mentioned a similar service in 2008-2009, but the earlier ambulances evaporated from scene a couple of years back. However, Rajasthan health minister Kalicharan Saraf informed the media that the government is likely to launch the ambulance equipped with life-saving equipment within a month in all 33 districts.
Total 34 ambulances will roll out next month, one each for all the districts plus one for Jaipur rural. The nursing staff in the ALS ambulance will be well-trained in handling medical emergencies, as opposed to the general nursing staff in hospitals. The ambulance will carry ventilator for patients that require advanced medical care. It’ll also have a defibrillator to relieve patients suffering from a fatal cardiac arrest.
As of now, Rajasthan has 1,430 ambulances operating under base medical services, 104 Janani express and 108 emergency response services. For those who don’t know, Rajasthan is the only state in India to have ‘geo-tagged’ ambulances. Hospitals can track their location with the help of GPS-enabled Android phones having specialized apps. This mobile app finds the nearest ambulance, alerts and directs it to the accident site. As per Mr. Deepak Kharbanda (CEO, GVK-EMRI) the providers use multimedia handsets to reduce the emergency response time of ambulances.
While 104 and 108 ambulances are free of cost, with funds drawn from the Centre, the base ambulance charges Rs 20/km for a medical situation that is not an emergency. We aren’t sure about the price slab of the new ambulance services. Nevertheless, we’re sure that it’s going to be a blessing for countless heart patients across the state.
