THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Soon, the state capital will have 32 more ambulances operating across the district. A project of the Kerala Medical Services Corporation (KMSCL), the ambulances will provide service to various health care institutions under the Department of Family Welfare.
Launched as part of a Rs 414 crore project by the KMSCL, as many as 315 free service ambulances are getting ready across the state. A minimum of 200 ambulances have been planned to start in four months and the rest will be on road on or before November.
Currently, there are 43 free ambulances available on the toll-free number 108 in two districts - Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram, said KMSCL general manager Dileep Kumar SR. "The ambulance facility which is currently available does not meet the requirement of the people. The new project will help in saving many lives," said Dileep. The government approved the tender bid of GVK EMRI, a Hyderabad-based emergency management services organisation a month back. The locations for ambulance distribution have been decided with the help of the Road Safety Authority and Motor Vehicles Department. "Ambulances will be available within the five-ten kilometre stretch of National Highways in the district," said Dileep.
To be launched as an aggregate model ambulance facility, the initiative will have three modules - a call centre, an ambulance facility and qualified attenders in the ambulance. "A new toll-free number will be facilitated for the ambulance. It operates in two ways. One via the call centre and the other via a mobile app specially designed to get ambulances like the taxi facilities of Uber and Ola. The app will be ready in two months," he said.
Citing the working model Dileep said, "The special attendee in the ambulance will be trained to analyse the victim. With the help of a checklist, he/she will describe the situation of the patient to the toll-free desk and the desk will allocate hospitals nearby, according to the emergency," he said. The KMSCL will also appoint a nodal officer at selected hospitals to sort out malpractices.
"The nodal officers will ensure the functioning of the ambulance facility. Also he/she will be responsible in ensuring that the hospital allocated by the call centre has enough facilities and doctors on duty," said Dileep.