COIMBATORE: As many as 16,000 pregnant women in the district benefitted from the government’s 108 (Emergency Medical Response for pre-hospital transportation) and 102 (free transportation service for Pregnant women and neonates).
On average around 1,348 women used these services. Especially those residing in the hilly regions are preferring 102 services compared to those living in the plains. The ‘108’ emergency response service is a free service was launched in Tamil Nadu in September 2008 through GVK-EMRI. A fleet of 66 ambulances is operated in Coimbatore. Similarly, the ‘102’ ambulance service is available at Mettupalayam, Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH), Pollachi, and Valparai.
A total of 16,174 pregnant women benefited from these services between April 2023 and March 2024. According to sources from the health department, on average 1,348 pregnant women use these two services in a month in the city.
The Joint Director of the Health Services N N Rajasekaran said, “The government has allotted adequate vehicles for 108, 102 and the free hearse service across the district.”