RANCHI: In a first-of-its-kind initiative to boost medical transport facilities to higher medical centers in emergency-like situations, the Jharkhand government will roll out air ambulance service from April 28. According to officials, the ambulance will be ready within two hours of booking and it will be equipped with emergency equipment and doctors.
“This is first of its kind initiative taken by any state in the country. The air ambulance service will be launched by Chief Minister Hemant Soren on April 28,” said Civil Aviation Director (Operations) Captain S P Sinha. Keeping the safety of patients in mind, the air ambulance will have a multi-engine facility to avoid any glitches during the transportation of patients.
According to Sinha, one can reschedule the flight with a precondition that it does not affect the bookings of other applicants. Apart from Ranchi, air ambulance services will also be made available at Deoghar, Dumka, Bokaro, Dhanbad, Giridih and Jamshedpur, he said.
The destinations specified so for the service are New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Varanasi, Lucknow and Tirupati. To avail of the service, one can contact 918210594073 and 0651-4665515.
Service charges range between a minimum of Rs 3 lakh for Ranchi to Kolkata and up to a maximum of Rs 8 lakh for Ranchi to Tirupati or Chennai. For routes other than specified destinations, Rs 1.10 lakh will be charged on an hourly basis.
Officials claimed that though air ambulance is already available on call, the involvement of the government will make the service reliable and dependable. It will reduce hidden charges, they claimed. They also informed us that they are planning to ensure that at least one air ambulance remains static in Ranchi to ferry people from any district to required destinations in the shortest possible time.
The official informed that they have tied up with multiple agencies offering air ambulance services, who have been empanelled with the state government. Earlier in January this year, Soren had assured that the state is making continuous efforts to strengthen the health facilities in Jharkhand.