Kerala to launch e-network of ambulances modelling Uber

The app-based facility will be launched for people to seek service of the nearest ambulance from the accident spot and rush the victim to appropriate hospitals

Kerala will soon launch an e-network of ambulances on the lines of app-based global taxi operator Uber. Finance minister TM Thomas Isaac made the announcement during the presentation of the state budget for 2018-19 in the Assembly. An app-based facility would be launched for people to seek the service of the nearest ambulance from the accident spot and rush the victim to appropriate hospitals, he said.

“A state-wide e-network of ambulance services on the lines of Uber taxi will be formulated,” the minister said, detailing various plans to be implemented in the healthcare sector. He recalled the recent death of an accident victim, hailing from Tamil Nadu, in the state due to alleged denial of treatment in various hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam. An alternative system to avoid recurrence of such incidents would be implemented in the year 2018-19, he said. Emergency medical care should be provided free of cost in all hospitals including private establishments, the minister said. The government would disburse the amount for it from the road safety fund, he added.