Stories
4500 ambulances to be in service in Maharashtra by year end
- •The 102 and 108 ambulance services in the state will be integrated to make emergency health services more robust and rapid.
- •Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Prakash Abitkar announced plans to introduce 4500 state-of-the-art ambulances by the end of the year.
- •Calls will be managed from a single central control room, and the nearest available ambulance will be dispatched immediately using GPS technology.
- •The upgraded network will significantly improve timely medical assistance during the crucial Golden Hour for accident victims, critical patients, and pregnant women.
Key Questions Answered
The state government is integrating the 102 and 108 ambulance services and plans to introduce 4,500 new state-of-the-art ambulances by the end of the year. Calls will be managed through a single central control room to reduce response times and make medical assistance faster.
The new network will feature Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances equipped with life-saving facilities and connected via GPS. This allows the central control room to track their exact location and quickly dispatch the nearest vehicle to rural, remote, and tribal regions.
During critical situations like accidents or heart attacks, the first hour known as the 'golden hour' is vital for saving a patient's life. Integrating the services and utilizing GPS dispatch helps reduce response times, making it easier to provide timely treatment and transport pregnant women or critical patients safely.
