VIJAYAWADA: As part of its reforms in the medical and health sector, the State government is all set to roll out Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances, which will be equipped with ventilator and defibrillator as well as neonatal care devices so as to extend the emergency medical service to patients while being shifted to hospital. Out of the total 412 new ambulances procured recently by the government, 130 are ALS ambulances and the remaining 280-odd are Basic Life Support (BLS) category.
“We have decided to deploy 10 ALS ambulances each in all the 13 districts. As every second is crucial in saving a life, the government has come up with the initiative of deploying ALS ambulances,” an official told TNIE. He further informed that two of the 10 ALS ambulances in each district, will be equipped with neonatal ventilator for newborns.
The 108 ambulance service was limited to administer first-aid and transport the patient to nearby hospital all these years. There were several instances of the doctors declaring the patient brought dead because of lack of life support equipment in the ambulance. In shifting the patients who suffer cardiac arrest and those severely injured in ghastly road accidents, the ALS ambulance will come in handy to save their lives while being shifted to hospital, the official said. Asked whether the ALS ambulances are intended to shift coronavirus patients who require ventilator support, he said at the time when they decided to go for ALS ambulances, there was no Covid-19 outbreak.