Emergency Services

Ambulance Services to Go Hi-tech in Bangalore

The institute will initially set up 150 ambulances across the State and scale it up to 367 over the next two years

Ambulance services in Bangalore will go high-tech to treat trauma patients and mishap victims. Pioneered by the Hyderabad-based non-profit organisation Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI) through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, free service will be a phone call away on toll-free number 108. The institute, set up and funded by Satyam Computers founders, entered into an agreement with the State Government for the emergency health service. "The Karnataka government will finance the ambulance service, including 95 per cent of the operational cost," said EMRI consultant

J Narasimha Rao. It will manage the Emergency Response Centre (EMC) where calls on a patient are recorded, and provide medical inputs and manpower to operate the service. The institute will initially set up 150 ambulances across the State and scale it up to 367 over the next two years. "Experts from the institute and the State health department are working on modalities to identify vulnerable areas, where ambulances will be required the most," said Rao. Each ambulance will cover about 25 km radius so as to reach patients within 15-20 minutes after a call is registered at EMC. Physicians at EMC will give pre-arrival advice to the attendant of patients, before ambulances reach the spot. Each ambulance will be manned by two trained emergency medical technicians for attending patients or accident victims. EMRI has also tied up with state-run-hospitals to attend to patients brought by their ambulances. "Talks are on with private hospitals and clinics to admit patients brought by our ambulances and provide medical care for next 24 hours free-of-cost. Patients and the hospitals will decide on the course of treatment," Rao commented. As an integrated emergency service provider, EMRI ambulances operate in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Uttarkhand. Karnataka is the fourth state to avail the service. The American Academy of Emergency Medicine in India, American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, National Emergency Number Association and Richmond Ambulance Authority work in partnership with EMRI to provide the service. EMRI on an average attends 13,000 calls a day. It has saved around 4,000 lives and attended over 60,000 emergency calls since the service was launched in 2005.

EH News Bureau